"As violent, suspenseful and brilliant as ever." durch V. Krätke (Netherlands) auf 05.06.2005

This volume marks the proper start of a new chapter in Gon's adventures. At the start of the book, Gon and Kirua travel to a secluded nation with Kaito's group, where all forms of technology are outlawed. There, they butt heads with the sinister Kimera Ant creatures. The ensuing struggle promises to be a fierce one, even by Hunter X Hunter's standards. The Kimera Ants come in a wide variety of grotesque shapes, combining various human, animal and insect characteristics. This gives our heroes some incredibly diverse opponents to tangle with, so that no two battles are ever alike. Togashi's insanely creative imagination is working overtime here, spawning buckets of wild and frightening animal monsters (unless you're of the furry/otherkin persuasion, in which case the winged dog man with a thong and a bunny tail is sure to fire up your sex glands big time - incidentally, I weep for you).

Togashi also has a great gift for generating suspense, and he injects this volume with a nearly palpable sense of menace. The author doesn't hesitate to show just how brutal the Kimera Ants really are. Previous volumes of Hunter X Hunter always came with generous dollops of violence on top, but this tops everything. Limbs literally fly every few pages as the Kimera Ants tear into their victims with shocking ferocity. All the better to play with the reader's nerves. It's all too clear that Gon and Kirua are up against some very high odds. This time, *nobody* is safe. Along the way, major players die gruesomely, familiar background characters are re-introduced, and several other fascinating twists spice up the action. Wherever this new story arc is going, it is simply dripping with suspense. Few books have left me so eager to see what further developments are in store. I salute Togashi's talent for fiercely engrossing storytelling via simple cheap and sketchy all black-and-white comics. Now let's have that next volume already before I blow up.