Hunter x Hunter dopped at episode 19
I'm gonna get a lot of flak for this but I just can't put up with ridiculous character/plot armor, when it's completely unnecessary.
I understand Gon is just a child, but does he really have to be so dim-witted and stubborn?
He had his ass handed to him by the bold ninja but refused to give up despite having 3 (or 4?) more opportunities to pass the round.
His refusal was illogical and without reason. Half the time when bold ninja was reasoning with him, Gon didn't respond, probably because the original scriptwriters couldn't actually think of a logical response right? But when he does finally responds, he just spouts some childish nonsense "I want to find my dad, I feel if I give up now, I might never find him". Oh you feel? Maybe you should feel the tip of bold ninja's blade about to pierce through your head, and the blood that's draining from it.
Now why is his response illogical? Well first, he could have conceded to bold ninja and still have had many opportunities to get past the round, so it wasn't a do-or-die situation. Second, if bold ninja had killed him, then he definitely wouldn't be able to find his dad. So how did he come to the conclusion that taking the risk was the best idea? Absolute stupidity.
With that said, my personal gripe is that despite knowing that he was outmatched, he showed no humility or shame, as if he thought he deserved to win just because he stubbornly refused to surrender.
And I hate how they brush over the drama using his childish buffoonery as relief humor.
Anyways, I don't know if you guys can agree with this or not. I don't think the show is bad, but I can't overlook something like this. It irritates me to no end.
It's kinda like a child continuously crying until you give him a lollipop, and you say to the child, if you don't be quiet you won't get any lollies for a week, and the child just keeps crying until you submit to it's demand. That annoys me, and it's also why I never want to have children. This is probably irrelevant but it may actually be a reason why I can't put up with this kind of nonsense.
TLDR: Gon should have surrendered to bold ninja, his refusal to do so was illogical and plot armor saved his little mc ass.
I'll move onto Gintama and One Piece.
Edit: You know what, I've already watched 19 episodes, I want to add it onto MAL and be able to say yes when people ask me if I've seen the great HxH, I'll finish it. I do believe it will get better and I trust you basilers, shows don't get ratings of over 9.000 and not be good. I'll get over this petty complaint and expect what should be expected from silly little brats and hope that he becomes less silly (I mean, character development is still a thing right?).
On a side note, Killua is a badass, I would not have objected if Ninja decided to stick it through Gon's head and Killua became the main character. Apologies if that sounded a bit too graphic.
36 Comments • Newest first
[quote=Kiirori]Yes, keyword if. Because if that had happened, logic would dictate that no matter what Gon demanded, Crapica, Doctor, and Killua would not have allowed him to lie there until his death. They would have intervened (because unlike Gon, they actually have a sense of logic), and by intervening, Ninja would have gotten an easy win.
The alternative situation (which I think is much less likely) would have been Gon's friends deciding "well f*k that m8, we'll just let our little friend die", then Gon dies after a few hours of lying on the floor, and then Ninja getting DQed for a year.
No matter how you put it, Ninja had the upperhand and had no reason to get all sentimental with the "oh look how determined he is, ima give him a free win".[/quote]
I said if he had won, Hanzou would have surrended. So if he had any foresight, he wouldn't have done it. If he didn't, he would realise he had dun goofed and surrended. it wasn't if hanzou had broken all of gon's limbs.
and that reminds me, what really was stupid about the test was that helping rule. it was subjective as to who you were "helping" and someone should'e just "helped" gon or hanzou and had the test done with. unless i missed something, and all iirc.
@Deciduous: There really isn't anything else more reliable to go by though. The ratings are all reasonably relative. There are plenty of shows in the 6s, which is generally considered bad or below average. Hell, Glasslip is rated 5.71 which even I think is a bit harsh for an average rating.
Gon and Killua's friendship was one of the few themes I enjoyed seeing. Although once again, Killua was the only one who really saw development.
Oh god, I was going to drop this but.. Gon's character is absolutely terrible, unjustifiable. I don't know how anyone can even declare that he's a good character. Episode 116, the amount of hypocrisy that he spouted out of rage showed what happens when his childish ideologies get out of hand, and this was exactly what I was afraid of when I made this thread. Unless he's been affected by something, which I doubt, his morals have been completely twisted. Am I really the only person bothered by this? I was going to give this show an 8, but now it's leaning very close to 7.
I've heard good things about a certain episode (126?). That and the ending are going to be the only things capable of getting this show back to an 8 for me. But as for Gon, I doubt my opinion of his will change for the better, he's a terrible character, let alone a main character. God dammit he's infuriating, giving me more reason to hate kids.
@Kiirori: MAL is the worst bc people don't rate under like, 6.
as a duo, Gon and Killua are shonen protagonists that i honestly like, and it's rare. they really feel like kids and have a great mutual relationship. i think Gon's arc really culminates later (since post-exam is basically devoted to Kurapika, new characters, and Killua) but in the meantime he's a serviceable and not annoying protag. you watched past 19 and don't hate it, so i guess i got what i wanted lol.
@Deciduous I'm up to 106 now and my opinion on Gon hasn't really changed. Up to this point, Gon has had minimal character development, Killua has seen more development than Gon. I just don't think Gon has all the ideal characteristics to be a solid main character. As for the show itself, I think it's undeserving of 9.14 on MAL, but it's not bad either.
are the first 19 episodes bad at conveying Gon's charisma? his insight, carefree attitude and stubbornness combine to create a character that throws people off balance and makes easy allies (hell, he's powerful too). it shouldn't be a surprise that Hanzo surrendered. it's not as if Gon is a terribly original character (yet) for having those qualities, but i think during the exam's trials they do a good job at showing how he's not ordinary and how people bend to his will/are lead by him.
like i dunno if you're just waiting for somebody to convince you to watch more, because the entire series changes after the exam and i'm reluctant to spoil any of it. but you're still here getting hung up over less than 5% of the series in addition to a perceived character/writing flaw that doesn't come up again.
@Kiirori MAL certainly isn't reliable enough for you to set any expectations around the specific score. I mean, just look at their top anime list. Brotherhood is on top, and Gintama entries make up 4 of the top 10. If I watched Brotherhood expecting it to be around a 9.24/10, I'd be unreasonably critical of it too.
I've only watched 2 episodes of Psycho Pass 2, so I wouldn't know how bad she becomes. It'd be a shame if she really dragged the show down though. Psycho Pass didn't really need a sequel to begin with, and I'm only watching it at all because I thought it would explain what really happened to Kagari.
@Amuro: This is just the one instance that really stood out to me, there has been other occasions where I thought Gon's actions weren't very well thought out. I know that mangakas usually don't have complete authority over what they write, but my criticism is irrespective of that. I'm simply criticizing the story for how it is, which is irrational I know, producers can't just churn out perfected material.
As you mentioned, our reception is affected by our expectations. Rather than the typical expectation of "it's just another shounen", my expectation was that this shounen series must be outstanding to have a 9.14 rating on MAL. Perhaps I'm giving MAL ratings more merit than it deserves, but I really don't see HxH being better than something like Hitman Reborn for example, even from an objective standpoint. Of course, MAL ratings aren't entirely objective, but nonetheless it raised my expectations by a fair bit and is also the reason why I'm so critical on the flaws.
I HATE that new girl in Psycho Pass 2, the amount of contrived drama created from her stupidity and selfishness is unforgivable, not to mention her general b*tchiness. Personally I do think the anime is made worse because of her. Last I saw, she was about to die, I hope she does and good riddance to that.
Going back to that specific instance, I don't recall being given any reason to believe that Hanzo is a good guy by nature. Not a great amount was known about him prior to that fight and the thing is, he wasn't even under any pressure to kill Gon. It was made clear that Gon's friends wanted Gon to surrender rather than potentially die. Hanzo had all the means to subdue Gon, incapacitate him, and leave him to be rescued by his friends. Sure, Hanzo was obviously confident that he could just win the next round, but that turns his surrender into an act of charity towards Gon, one that I don't think he deserved. So the reason why I'm holding him to adult standards is because he's journeying through a world that's ideally only fit for adults, but despite that being the case, Gon still manages to get by with his childish values. So whether it be because of jealousy or envy, I simply don't like that.
@Kiirori You're still not getting it. Even if your reasoning is infallible, it's still one instance, and to say "the story is de-valued to accommodate that" is an exaggeration. The point I made about HxH being a jump serialization is an important consideration, and since you didn't comment on it, I'll be more explicit: the mangaka often doesn't have complete freedom with their story, and this is especially true for anything in weekly jump. They'll sometimes have to write an event a certain way just to appease the set of guidelines given to them, so you never know, this could be one of those instances. The goal of a jump mangaka isn't to have perfect logic, it's to appeal to a very specific target demographic. Reading or watching a shounen usually means lowering your standards if they're high. It's not that we're overly lenient because we appreciate HxH more than you, it's because knowing what it is, our expectations aren't sky high. And all things considered, HxH manages to be one of the most solid shounen titles available.
Everybody has some things that irk them to an irrational degree. I hate uptight characters like that new girl in Psycho Pass 2, but I'm not going to analyze everything she says and does and say the anime is bad because of her. I still don't fully understand why you think this specific case is so illogical. You get that Gon's a child, so why are you holding him to standards for an adult? Why is it so unbelievable for Hanzo to show mercy to a child that he likes? To say Gon's an idiot for risking his life implies you think Hanzo would actually kill a kid.
@LitheMovement: At the beginning I was quite impartial to his character, I saw no reason to like or dislike him (aside from the way he looked). He's just a little kid looking for his dad (not the most riveting plot line I'd like to add). What I began to dislike was his portrayed innocence, his naivety and how it often goes unpunished, and also his basic moral principals. In that specific episode, the characteristics Gon showed just didn't seem desirable in an mc. I can understand that his refusal to surrender was meant to be a showing of determination, but I personally thought it showed more stupidity than determination. His decision was unintelligent, he refused to listen to his friends, and then decided that his victory didn't satisfy his ego (although this was kinda brushed off as a comedic attempt at portraying his childish personality). Overall, it just gave me the "I'm a kid and I get what I want" vibe. Personally, that really gets under my skin, especially when they do end up getting what they want through charitable means. So to answer your question, it's a combination of both my distaste for Gon's character and the handy plot device that was used to help him.
@Kiirori: Originally I wasn't all that interested since I thought I knew exactly how you felt on this matter, but I'm curious again.
Just to clarify: is it that you didn't like Gon from the beginning and this was the tipping point, or is it that this specific plot point is absolutely terrible and ruins Gon's character and thus the story?
@iVege: Yes, keyword if. Because if that had happened, logic would dictate that no matter what Gon demanded, Crapica, Doctor, and Killua would not have allowed him to lie there until his death. They would have intervened (because unlike Gon, they actually have a sense of logic), and by intervening, Ninja would have gotten an easy win.
The alternative situation (which I think is much less likely) would have been Gon's friends deciding "well f*k that m8, we'll just let our little friend die", then Gon dies after a few hours of lying on the floor, and then Ninja getting DQed for a year.
No matter how you put it, Ninja had the upperhand and had no reason to get all sentimental with the "oh look how determined he is, ima give him a free win".
@Amuro: I've said that I'm well aware he's just a child, and I know it's logical for a child to be illogical. That wasn't my main point and complaint, my point was that his decision was wrong, my complaint was that he has poor character and the story is de-valued to accommodate that.
[quote=Kiirori]@muk96: I think it's your bias that's giving so much leniency to the flaws of this show, which is normal. Despite all the flaws of Naruto, I still love the series. However, I'm not quite as passionate about HxH as you are even though it has been relatively enjoyable so far.
Did Gon leave his aunt in order to hasten his potential death so that he could never return to her AND never find his dad? Because that's exactly what he was risking when he decided not to surrender. You make it sound like his decision to not surrender was impulsive, even though he stood there with a lot of time to consider Ninja's valid reasoning. He concluded that not surrendering was the right decision, even though it wasn't from an objective standpoint. So despite Gon having a flaw in his character (over-valuing the reunion with his dad) his punishment was simply circumvented through the use of the almighty plot armor, which I do not like to see in a situation like this.
Just because the story is fictional, doesn't mean common logic should be avoided. If that were to be the case, there would be no sensible progression in stories because content creators could just pull out whatever bs plot device they need for the mc to survive. However, if Gon had chosen to surrender, it would've added value to the anime in the form of suspense, drama, and dynamics. So not only did the producers/authors not capitalize on that, but they also had to resort to using plot devices to patch up his character flaws. So no, I'm not taking it too seriously, I'm taking it seriously enough to know that it has an inconsistent logical backing.[/quote]
Other posters mentioned this already but it doesn't seem like they sunk in yet, so to repeat: Gon is just a child (and it's logical for a child to be illogical), and this is literally just one instance in the entire series that you're pointing out. Adding to that, HxH is a shounen jump serialization; think about what that implies, and then tell me again that you're not taking this too seriously.
[quote=GunsTheSparkle]@Kiirori: Hypothetically, yes. If that were to happen the match would have continued going until he gave up or died. So, if he passed out from shock, gg. Though, I'm not sure how forced interventions would play into the rules. As for why those rules happened it was just the chairman being silly again(Within the story itself anyway, outside it was made for plot armor). Besides, as far as the series is concerned, being a hunter isn't all being good at fighting. The fights are pretty epic later though.[/quote]
keyword if.
doing that would be the same as hanzou slicing off his arm. he would bleed/dehydrate to death and hanzou would lose. why would he do it?
if he did end up breaking all of gon's limbs he would surrender before he died anyway.
Pretty sure by your logic everything that happens in every story is plot armor, and I agree with you. It was just in Hanzo's practically good-natured personality. Gon is pretty stubborn and can be very stupid, but to say that his flaw was corrected by plot armor is kinda unnecessary as technically all things are. I think some bias points it out to you as being obviously the case here though (making the plot armor very visible), but you'll see that kinda stuff in every story, shounen or otherwise. Serendipity is a thing, after all, and if you don't think there's plot armor everywhere, you're simply ignoring it.
@muk96: I think it's your bias that's giving so much leniency to the flaws of this show, which is normal. Despite all the flaws of Naruto, I still love the series. However, I'm not quite as passionate about HxH as you are even though it has been relatively enjoyable so far.
Did Gon leave his aunt in order to hasten his potential death so that he could never return to her AND never find his dad? Because that's exactly what he was risking when he decided not to surrender. You make it sound like his decision to not surrender was impulsive, even though he stood there with a lot of time to consider Ninja's valid reasoning. He concluded that not surrendering was the right decision, even though it wasn't from an objective standpoint. So despite Gon having a flaw in his character (over-valuing the reunion with his dad) his punishment was simply circumvented through the use of the almighty plot armor, which I do not like to see in a situation like this.
Just because the story is fictional, doesn't mean common logic should be avoided. If that were to be the case, there would be no sensible progression in stories because content creators could just pull out whatever bs plot device they need for the mc to survive. However, if Gon had chosen to surrender, it would've added value to the anime in the form of suspense, drama, and dynamics. So not only did the producers/authors not capitalize on that, but they also had to resort to using plot devices to patch up his character flaws. So no, I'm not taking it too seriously, I'm taking it seriously enough to know that it has an inconsistent logical backing.
[quote=CantBeStopped]So this is where all the real men hang out after they gym it up huh. lol Surprised you watch such a kiddy show.[/quote]
Man, I watch all sorts of kiddy stuff lol. It works super well as background noise when I have to do work on a computer.
@Kiirori: Hypothetically, yes. If that were to happen the match would have continued going until he gave up or died. So, if he passed out from shock, gg. Though, I'm not sure how forced interventions would play into the rules. As for why those rules happened it was just the chairman being silly again(Within the story itself anyway, outside it was made for plot armor). Besides, as far as the series is concerned, being a hunter isn't all being good at fighting. The fights are pretty epic later though.
@Kiirori
The Hunter exam arc was done lightly in the 2011 series (to my knowledge), and really just acts as an introductory arc for the main-ish characters (Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, Hisoka, Alluka). Stopping because the main character who is mind you a 12 year old acts as stubborn as a child, is kind of silly, and is still in the introductory arc. Its also only one scene, if one scene is all it takes to stop you from watching then you will just miss out on a great story with good characters that actually develop, culminating in an amazing arc (chimera ant arc).
Being a child who is stubborn is the only reason we can give you, because it is an insignificant event (it doesn't even come up again), and if you continue you would note that Hanzo and Gon chat after, and Hanzo decided it just wasn't worth the time to break Gon. You are also assuming that HxH is like other anime, but it really isn't, the writer knows how to write a good story (Yu Yu Hakusho), don't go with the preconception that people will just view Gon as a child, Heavens Arena (the next arc) forces Gon to realize he is weak and that he needs to grow up a bit.
@Kazzooey: I have not been around kids much, I dislike kids in general. I said that it might be a reason why I dislike Gon's character, aside from the fact that he looks silly. I mean seriously, the people who thought Naruto's orange jumpsuit looked bad... Those green boots, green short shorts, that hairdo.. Not to mention his name keeps reminding me of Gon from Tekken.
I'm not sure if that's meant to be a snarky remark but I don't recall ever having a friend who's unaware of the implications of being killed. Although to be fair, I doubt many of my friends have ever encountered a situation where their lives are on the brink of death. Though I'm still confident enough to say that if they were in a situation like that, most of them would have chosen the option that guaranteed their safety. Whether that's the 'smart' thing to do or not appears to be subjective.
@Kiirori: Have you ever had a real life friend or been around kids? They aren't that smart compared to a full on adult lol
[quote=razormana]Personally i think that the point of the final round for Gon at the very least was to confirm that he was determined enough to find his father. Without at least that much conviction his journey would be pointless, also had he conceded he would be at a further disadvantage as the rounds continue as he was already battered and bruised. He also knew that Sanzo wouldn't be stupid enough to jeopardize his chances at becoming a hunter.
TLDR: Just move on with it or drop it, your loss if you drop it so early on because of a stupid reason.You over-analyzed such an unimportant episode and should just continue on, if you analyze everything as much as you did this, how can you enjoy any of it.[/quote]
And also to confirm how unconcerned he is to dying right? If he had surrendered as soon as he realized he couldn't beat Ninja in a legitimate fight, he would have been in decent form to try and win in the next rounds. "Stupid enough to jeopardize his chances at becoming a hunter"? Well the only repercussion for killing Gon would have been a measly disqualification, he could try again the following year whilst Gon would be 6 feet under if that had happened. Can you really commend such risk evaluation by Gon? It isn't like when Goku stood still during Trunks' first strike, Goku could actually sense that Trunks had no killing intent. Gon had no reason to believe Ninja definitely wouldn't kill him, or at the very least he gave none and did imply he was taking a risk.
So then the argument becomes "well that's just Gon's character". Alright then, if that's the way it has to be, then the final fight could easily be something like (Hisoka: "this boy's resolve is astounding, and is causing me to have a change of heart, so even though I could just kill him, I'm going to surrender instead".) While I'm fairly confident that's not gonna happen (or that it doesn't happen), the problem lies within the possibility that it could happen, due to the way this anime has been set up. If it happens once, surely the writers are free to use it again, and what that causes is a lack of suspense and expectation. To me, that's a big problem because as far as shounen anime goes, there is already a fundamental suspense threshold that will usually never be crossed (mc no die). Making that threshold even more lenient will likely ruin the dynamics of story progression. But of course, this is just my opinion seeing as everybody else seems to love HxH.
Just because you people can easily look over this incident, doesn't mean i'm over-analyzing it, I've simply given it more thought because it bothers me, but it didn't require strenuous contemplation. I think my complaints are quite fair, and I've provided my reasoning. Another thing is quite possibly, my age group might not be the target audience. For all I know, you guys who aren't bothered by these "trivial" matters are all young teenagers that don't care for something that's seemingly minor. And I don't mean that in a condescending way in case some of you are also post-teenagers, it most likely is still a personal quibble.
[quote=AveryMBII]it was something that had to happen in order for the story to continue. [/quote]
How do you justify that when he had 3 more chances to win a match and move on? I could understand if he was on his final match and didn't have any other choice.
[quote=muk96]if you're this critical then you're better off not seeing anything as I'm 100% sure there's some stupid illogical and armored plot in every anime/fictional story.[/quote]
The use of plot armor wasn't used in the traditional manner to save the mc from an impossible situation, it was to save him from a stupid one that he brought onto himself. That's a big difference in my opinion, I don't think plot armor should be used unless absolutely necessary. The story could have easily carried on if he had surrendered to Ninja when he realized he couldn't beat him.
It just reminds me of the time in the abridged version of Yu-Gi-Oh where Tea keeps ranting on about friendship during her duel against Mai, and Mai just surrenders because she can't put up with any more of her friendship speech.
@GunsTheSparkle
[quote=UAPaladin]Gon didn't surrender because he realized that that was a mental game. As long as you don't surrender, it's impossible to lose. [/quote]
That's a good point that I wanted to address. The rules of the game was obviously a factor, the only way of losing is through forfeit. My issue with this is that it's quite nonsensical and flawed. Hypothetically, if Ninja dude had incapacitated every single one of Gon's limbs, to the point where he could only lie on the floor, then what? Do they just stand around and wait until Gon dies of dehydration or something? So the game itself was silly, and it forced the use of such unnecessary plot armor.
Funny thing is, I'd imagine even in that hypothetical situation, Gon's friends would still direct their anger towards Ninja. As if Bold Ninja had no right to win the match by out-fighting his opponent, which is just a completely ludicrous ideology. "How dare he hurt my friend and attempt to win the match! He should either surrender without resistance, or be beaten up and surrender!"
[quote=Kazzooey]So you get that he's a kid and that he's simple minded and can be illogical, but you don't get why he is completely idiotic and lacks common morals and shame[/quote]
Ftfy, and the answer is yes. I personally don't think it matters that the game has a twist being that the only way of defeat is through forfeit, he was bested in the fight and would have lost (and should have accepted his loss) in any situation that wasn't his opponent donating him a win through the plot armor foundations.
original hxh is the best hxh, try it
So you get that he's a kid and that he's simple minded and can be illogical, but you don't get why he's being so simple minded an illogical?
Ironic.
One of the best Anime ever created
I'm not a big fan of shounen shows, but I suggest you keep watching. HxH has a slow start but gets really good.
@Kiirori Good lord, you're analyzing this more than Welfin does (you'll understand that if you keep watching ). I say keep watching. Like others have said, that just shows how determined and stubborn Gon is. That's the innocent and illogical thinking of a 12 year old that hasn't experienced much outside of his hometown. You really start to see how that affects him as the anime goes on. You shouldn't let it bother you so much.
Gintama next pls
That entire scene hinged on the fact that Hanzo would've been disqualified if he had killed Gon and the only way to win was to get Gon to actually surrender. Gon merely took advantage of that.
It seems logical to me.
I just started watching it last week (on episode 75 atm). Just keep watching, it just gets better and better.
Gon didn't surrender because he realized that that was a mental game. As long as you don't surrender, it's impossible to lose. Since Gon's so stubborn, this was easily enough done for him, so he just needed to stick it out until his opponent realized that he'd never surrender and gave up because of it. This was just meant to show Gon's resolve.
[quote=Deciduous]you missed the entire point of Gon's character & that scene
it's about how he's stubborn and his sheer determination, even though it can be illogical. there are times in the story where that's enough and others where it isn't.
in the grand scheme of things, that single fight is so, so, so insignificant. so i mean, if your enjoyment of a 100+ episode series hangs on a single event in a single episode, that's your deal.[/quote]
This also feeds into the end of Chimera Ant really well, where his single-mindedness turns into something pretty ugly.
you missed the entire point of Gon's character & that scene
it's about how he's stubborn and his sheer determination, even though it can be illogical. there are times in the story where that's enough and others where it isn't.
in the grand scheme of things, that single fight is so, so, so insignificant. so i mean, if your enjoyment of a 100+ episode series hangs on a single event in a single episode, that's your deal.
I don't know what you were expecting, it's just a part of his character and it was something that had to happen in order for the story to continue. People interacting with other people in a interesting way is what makes a story a story and it was the author's choice to do so in order for the plot to progress. This is an adaptation of a manga btw and not something the script writers did, it was pulled straight out of the book that the mangaka made.
Oh man you aren't even at the good arc yet. Well I guess it's personal preference..
[quote=razormana]Personally i think that the point of the final round for Gon at the very least was to confirm that he was determined enough to find his father, one of the best hunters in the world who can vanish at the drop of a hat. Without at least that much conviction his journey would be pointless, also had he conceded he would be at a further disadvantage as the rounds continue as he was already battered and bruised. He also knew that Sanzo wouldn't be stupid enough to jeopardize his chances at becoming a hunter.
The anime really starts to pick up with heavens arena (next major arc after hunter exam), and gets progressively better, leading to the spiders arc, greed island and finally the chimera ant arc. You also dropped it for an irrational reaction so early on, the anime starts with a very light feel, but as it gets deeper in a darker feel comes through.
TLDR: Just move on with it or drop it, your loss if you drop it so early on because of a stupid reason.You over-analyzed such an unimportant episode and should just continue on, if you analyze everything as much as you did this, how can you enjoy any of it.[/quote]
^^ this right here
Personally i think that the point of the final round for Gon at the very least was to confirm that he was determined enough to find his father, one of the best hunters in the world who can vanish at the drop of a hat. Without at least that much conviction his journey would be pointless, also had he conceded he would be at a further disadvantage as the rounds continue as he was already battered and bruised. He also knew that Sanzo wouldn't be stupid enough to jeopardize his chances at becoming a hunter.
The anime really starts to pick up with heavens arena (next major arc after hunter exam), and gets progressively better, leading to the spiders arc, greed island and finally the chimera ant arc. You also dropped it for an irrational reaction so early on, the anime starts with a very light feel, but as it gets deeper in a darker feel comes through.
TLDR: Just move on with it or drop it, your loss if you drop it so early on because of a stupid reason.You over-analyzed such an unimportant episode and should just continue on, if you analyze everything as much as you did this, how can you enjoy any of it.
Welcome to shounen?