Hunter X Hunter, anime

In the last few years I have been really interested in Anime, Japanese Animation. I watch them because of the content, humor, and the Japanese language is interesting. I watch either in subtitles in English or English dubbed. My recent find is Hunter X Hunter watched through Crunchyroll app on iPAd.

Hunter X Hunter is about a young 12 year old boy, Gon who wants to be a hunter like his father. When Gon finds out that his father isn't dead, he sets out to become a hunter. Gon want to find his father so he can ask the question, "why did you leave me?"  The Hunter exam is brutal but along the way  he meets other applicants who become his friends. Each boy hass their own reasons for taking the exam to be a hunter. On a boat to the island Gon meets, Leorio and Kurapika. They inadvertantly join up and save a sailor who goes overboard during a storm. Because of their joint effort they pass a test to go to the next step of the Hunter exam. They later befriend another boy, Killua who is the same age as Gon. 

The first 20 episodes are of the Hunter Exam.  Crunchyroll has 120 episodes for free. 

Hunter X Hunter started out as a manga (Japanese Comic) in March 3, 1998 in Shuesiha magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump. The series is illustrated and written by Yoshihiro Togashi.  Yoshihiro Togashi came up with the name of the manga while watching a variety show, Downtown on the television. The host would repeat his words to get a laugh from the audience. There are 340 chapters published in chapter collection in Japan.

I recommend this anime for all ages who love adventure stories with humor, action, and drama.

Image- copyright Yoshihiro Togashi

Anime Fullmetal Alchemist-Brotherhood

Anime, Japanese cartoons and Manga, Japanese comics, have been very popular in my household for many years. I was introduced to both media from my daughter but I never explored them till now. Through the years, anime has been talked about whenever my grown children are together, even my grandson has his favorites. Cruising Netflix for something different to watch, I started watching Fullmetal Alchemist-Brotherhood. What's amazing about this manga/anime is that is was written and illustrated by a woman, Hiromu Arakawa.

Fullmetal Alchemist is about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric and they can wield alchemy.  Alchemy is using the earth's crust energy to metaphysically change matter or called Transmutation. The main creed goes that you can't make something from nothing, it's an even exchange and you can't bring anything back from the dead. These two boys try to use alchemist circle to bring back their deceased mother and in the process, one lost his body and the other lost an arm and a leg. Ed, uses alchemy to put his brother's soul into a suit of armor and Ed got automail prosthetic limbs.   They then meet Izumi Curtis, who becomes their sensai, teacher in alchemy and in martial arts.

Ed is then recruited by the military and has to pass an extensive exam. Upon passing the test, King Bradley the Fuhrer gives Ed the symbolic title of Fullmetal. He is the youngest alchemist. The brothers learn about the Philospher Stone and about it's power so they go in search of the formula. But what they find in their research quite horrific.

The made up country is Amestria and is a military state so the alchemist are a line of defense because of their abilites of transmutation.

There are 64 episodes which each are 24 minutes long. The series is a continuating saga of the brothers and the other characters.  I'm over half way through the series. Fullmetal Alchemist is such a well written anime and well illustrated that I have gotten hooked.