r/anime • u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick • 5d ago
Rewatch Katekyou Hitman Reborn 20th Anniversary - Week 2: Episodes 8-13 Discussion
Episode 8: The Senior Boss Thinks of his Family
Episode 9: Short Life Skull Disease
Episode 10: Gahaha! The Exploding Lunchbox!
Episode 11: The Dumpling Bun of Love and Death
Episode 12: Training Teacher! Strengthening Program
Episode 13: New Year! The Game of 100,000,000 Yen!
Comment of the Week
Comment of the Week goes to /u/FD4cry1 for pointing out how much effort that went into the charater designs:
I didn't realize it until this part, but I do appreciate the dedication of trying to give Tsuna different underwear almost every episode in this batch lol.
<- Last Week | Index | Next Week ->
Legal streams | Crunchyroll | Hulu | Tubi
Questions of the Week
1) Last week were the kids, this week we got introduced to the adults. What are your impressions of them? You can skip Shamal.
2) Tsuna already showed signs of going into Deathperation mode on his own. Should they be going back to Deathperation bullets after the Skullitis incident?
3) Do you have any experience with babysitting?
4) Are you exhausted yet? Do you have one more week in you?
Next Week: Episodes 14-19
2
u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 5d ago
Rewatcher
Last week were the kids, this week we got introduced to the adults. What are your impressions of them? You can skip Shamal.
Dino is pretty great. It's fun how similar to Tsuna he used to be, and it's a great showcase of Reborn's skills as a teacher. Almost, anyway. He's this kind of middleground where he still is as clumsy and incompetent as Tsuna when on his own, but add even just one of his subordinates and he's a genuinely cool guy. I also really like his bromance with Rosario—the manga even has this gem that unfortunately didn't make it into the anime.
As for Shamal... yeah this guy is probably a major reason why I don't actually mind Sanji this much in One Piece. Shamal is so so much worse
Tsuna already showed signs of going into Deathperation mode on his own. Should they be going back to Deathperation bullets after the Skullitis incident?
[Reborn]I've always wondered about this. They set Tsuna up to become able to enter Deathperation mode all on his own, and we just never see it again. It's such a shame. The Deathperation Pills are nice, but this would be so much nicer—and as we've seen with Ryohei, being in Deathperation mode without bullets or pills is totally possible.
Do you have any experience with babysitting?
Can't say I do, the only thing that comes to mind was taking care of my niece while visiting family.
Actually, now that I think back on it. They weren't as bad as Lambo, but they certainly had the same amount of energy. Kids are awesome.
Are you exhausted yet? Do you have one more week in you?
Such is the Daily Life Arc. I consider episodes 9-19 the worst stretch of it, too, so at least we'll be done with that after next week.
I really like when Hitman Reborn pulls out those moody segments, rare as they may be in this gag/battle shounen. We saw an early example at the very beginning with Reborn's introduction in Italy, and this episode we get one with Dino's backstory. They're shockingly good at setting the atmosphere and drawing you in, and I just feel like there's a totally different kind of story hiding in there that didn't manage to get out in KHR.
I actually really enjoyed some of the jokes we got this week. Gokudera's hairstyle is a roar as is his art, and it's just plain fun how Reborn enjoys messing with the kids. We also got a very subtle joke with Tsuna forgetting to put his belt on properly, and the rope hanging from the sky is just a classic. And Bianchi's squirrel costume is just adorable, a stark contrast to when she was gloating about having coaxed Gokudera into eating her poison cooking.
Speaking of which, I-Pin almost achieved the first kill of the show! Eating this kind of food really explains so much about her martial art... but what a choice for Tsuna to make. I really enjoyed the brief flashbacks we got for each of the girls, especially in a show like this it helped a lot to isolate the impact and importance they have to Tsuna from the constant comedy to inject a serious dramatic moment.
In general, I've noticed that this show has some really awesome impact shots! We've got the gang, Haru, Yamamoto and Ryohei, and even I-Pin got a more silly one that could totally have been a comment face.
2
u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots 4d ago edited 4d ago
He's this kind of middleground where he still is as clumsy and incompetent as Tsuna when on his own, but add even just one of his subordinates and he's a genuinely cool guy.
His whole premise sounds like it's tailor made for a shounen mc, or at least a parody of one. If only he wasn't way past the retirement age.
the manga even has this gem
[Reborn]
[Reborn] Part of it is just the aesthetic. The Dying Will Bullet is Tsuna's magical girl transformation, Reborn is his mascot, and the aesthetic is thematically tied in Reborn bringing the best out of him. By the time it turns into pills, though... yeah, we could've just skipped that and had Tsuna activate it on his own, symbolising that he doesn't need that first push anymore.
They're shockingly good at setting the atmosphere and drawing you in, and I just feel like there's a totally different kind of story hiding in there that didn't manage to get out in KHR.
Yeah, it felt like they were pouring out what they could, but if they somehow got the chance to make a work that highlights those aspects, it could've been great. The tone they set is a nice groovy middle between Baccano!'s wackiness and 91 Days' more grim backdrop.
I've noticed that this show has some really awesome impact shots!
Now we just need Reborn to sneak into Sky's Black Clover mafia base and slip those in.
1
1
u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots 5d ago
An Old Fan is Reborn
This batch had some wild swings, some rough ups and downs, but overall I liked it more than the first one. Helps that the core cast have settled down for the most part, so we can build on their interactions instead.
Mafia Senpai?
God, I love Dino. On the one end, he's a sort of projection of what a future Tsuna might look like once Reborn's done training him, a boss who can take care of everything and protect his subordinates, on the other, he's still every bit as silly as Tsuna, but in his own ways. He's the exemplary shounen mafia boss: someone who can only reach his 100% for the sake of his followers.
Side note: Dino is 22, so feel free to make your guesses on how long ago Reborn started training him.
Pervy Doctor
No point beating around the bush, Shamal is basically "what if Muten Roushi was a doctor with every STD under the sun", and fwiw, I don't mind Muten Roushi. But I think what later editions tend to miss is the construction of the joke, there's a big gap in expectations between the ancient wise sage, living for the sake of his arts, and the bumbling perverted old wanker, who's jerking it to workout TV channels all day. By comparison, a doctor going around harrassing young girls doesn't have that abstraction to make the joke work. I wish we were in a society where it did though.
Lambo's Babysitter
If you ever wondered what makes a proper Vongola boss, this episode makes the answer clear cut: it's the unique ability to babysit Lambo. No one else could do it. Even Lambo's parents couldn't make it to his birth.
I'm only half joking btw. Tsuna's empathy, despite all the silly and crazy scenarios he's thrown in, is a key asset that both connects him to those around him and keeps the emotional connection down to earth. He's the lightning rod of wacky nonsense.
Speaking of halfs, the lunch box part of this episode is original, and I thought it a fun addition. I do like me some messy ruckus afterall.
It's Your Appreciation Day!
Pivoting from Tsuna's dreams/nightmares of marriage, basically what might as well be a normal chapter in a harem romcom, to the girls' day out is a clever way to bring your target audience around a corner that they're not aware of. I really liked seeing Kyoko and Haru hit it off there. But to pad things out a bit and keep it child friendly, the anime had to make some changes. Originally, there was no extra medicine, Tsuna refused to save only one, so Reborn hit both girls with a dying will bullet to save them, and the punchline was that they left the bakery unsatisfied, so their dying wills took them back there.
Training Arc!
This episode mixed two separate training chapters, which is not a bad idea, but YMMV on how well they work together. I don't have much to say about the Yamamoto part of the episode, but the Gokudera one gives us some insight into his character, behind the tough exterior he loves to put on. The kid spent his life being rejected until he finally found someone who accepted him in Tsuna, which is why he's so driven to be an important asset to Tsuna, his right hand man, someone Tsuna can rely on,... Gokudera needs that validation. Admittedly, this episode did not do much about that issue, and intentionally so, for now he simply got his validation through a misunderstanding, but it's basically using comedy to put a light on an issue that's too big to tackle here.
[One Piece] what does it say about me that my favourite characters tend to be the ones with self worth issues?
Happy New Year!
No Christmas episode? Even if you're rushing to the action, there are rules to a sitcom that must be respected.
Easily my favourite episode of the batch, and the one I have the least to say about. I just loved seeing our cast interact, and this was a fun to show everyone's eccentricities. I don't know what's funnier about the karuta match, that the only Japanese playing was the first to lose, or how much the Italian mafia must've practiced for this day. They've been training all year for whatever Reborn might throw at them.
1) Last week were the kids, this week we got introduced to the adults. What are your impressions of them? You can skip Shamal.
Adults
I'll let Tomino answer this one.
2) Tsuna already showed signs of going into Deathperation mode on his own. Should they be going back to Deathperation bullets after the Skullitis incident?
Yes, for one simple reason: Things don't go well when someone tries to take Reborn's job...
3) Do you have any experience with babysitting?
Unfortunately, yes. I had my own Lambo when I was Tsuna's age.
4) Are you exhausted yet? Do you have one more week in you?
I'm honestly having a surprisingly good time now that we've moved on from the bombardment of introductions. For as much as the quality shakes here and there, the episodes have a fun easy going vibe to them, it's a shame that they changed the first ED though.
2
u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 4d ago
If you ever wondered what makes a proper Vongola boss, this episode makes the answer clear cut: it's the unique ability to babysit Lambo.
There was some more subtle shittalking by Reborn in there, too: The competition he set up wasn't about who gets to be the Vongola boss, but who gets to be the right-hand man, i.e. who gets to take care of Tsuna.
Or in other words, it was about who gets to babysit Tsuna.
[One Piece] what does it say about me that my favourite characters tend to be the ones with self worth issues?
[Remark]If you're not yet familiar with One Piece-tuber MelonTeee, I think I can highly recommend her to you.
Adults
Hey, Dino is 22, and Bianchi is 17! Somehow.
I'm honestly having a surprisingly good time now that we've moved on from the bombardment of introductions.
I am struck once again by how volatile my own impression of the Daily Arc is. I really enjoyed it when I gave it a test run in preparation for this rewatch, but now I'm finding it more grating again... Haru's hahis do remain a highlight for me though, haha.
1
u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots 4d ago
Or in other words, it was about who gets to babysit Tsuna.
[Remark]If you're not yet familiar with One Piece-tuber
[Oh, I am] there aren't that many OP youtubers who do actual analysis on a regular basis. So I'm familiar with both of them. It has nothing to do with the fact that we're both Aussies or share lots of similar opinions, that's just luck playing its lot
1
u/Wrightshoe 5d ago
I don't have a lot to say this week since I'm kind of exhausted from watching these - episode 8 was fun, but 9 I found genuinely awful and everything after that was just kind of boring. Shamal is a rare instance where I think I'd like the series more if the character had just never been invented. Somehow he makes even Director Hotti from Ace Attorney almost likeable by comparison ((though I think it helps that they toned down Hotti a lot in the translation), and that one also falls into the category of "why do we need this character". Was this supposed to be funny? Who thought this would be funny? And if they could write out Gokudera's cigarettes and Yamamoto's initial character arc, why is this guy in the anime?
On a more positive note, I like how Gokudera and Yamamoto just immediately ran off to fight yakuza for Tsuna, and that Kyouko and Haru now get along well thanks to the power of cake. Reborn's outfits are also consistently great, and I like episode 13 outfits.
1) Last week were the kids, this week we got introduced to the adults. What are your impressions of them? You can skip Shamal.
Dino and the gang are fun and it's nice to see a more mafia-looking mafia / what Tsuna and his family are supposed to become for comparison. Enzio is of course the best one and I think I know someone we should convince to join this rewatch just for Enzio, though I don't know if I'd want him to suffer through the episode after that.
2) Tsuna already showed signs of going into Deathperation mode on his own. Should they be going back to Deathperation bullets after the Skullitis incident?
Good to know he did succeed in that after all (even if it's just for a few seconds) - I thought the absence of a flame implied he didn't actually get there, but now I realize the flame just represents the bullet. I think it'd be nice if he gradually learned to rely less on Reborn's bullets over time, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was Reborn's plan.
3) Do you have any experience with babysitting?
I worked in a daycare for children Lambo's age for a few months when I was 16 or so, which I suppose is similar. I liked working with the kids, it was just the adults I had problems with. Probably helps me not be as bothered by Lambo's antics since you'll be forced to develop a tolerance for toilet accidents and the like pretty quickly as that's just something that'll happen on occasion. Though from what I remember, the children I worked with didn't have as many hand grenades and also didn't randomly turn into TsudaKen for five minutes, but everything else seems pretty normal.
4) Are you exhausted yet? Do you have one more week in you?
I think I can manage this unless Shamal shows up again, in which case I might have to go into shinuki Deathperation mode to be able to keep watching. Good thing I have a lot of spare shirts.
1
u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 3d ago
Somehow he makes even Director Hotti from Ace Attorney almost likeable by comparison
Hey, Dr. Hotti is fun (in the translation), in the crazy insanity kind of fun! At least he feels like he's just a huge creep but not an actual menace.
I like how Gokudera and Yamamoto just immediately ran off to fight yakuza for Tsuna
That's true! I've kinda been discounting that, but it really is a great character moment, if somewhat of a shounen-ism!
1
u/HowlingWolf13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/MeguminBlast 2d ago
Manga Timer
Late cause work but this was a pretty good batch! Gonna make it quick cause this is late, but Shamal aside I'm having a good time with the Daily Life arc. Funnily enough, the chapter where Shamal becomes the school nurse is actually revealed in a mini dual arc the anime didn't adapt.
Long story short, Namimori has a Sports Day where three teams A, B, and C all compete and one of the big events is Bo-daoshi (Topple the Pole) where the person on the pole has to stay on top even when everyone is essentially trying to beat them to death. Of course, Tsuna gets picked this year by Ryohei thanks to Reborn and it's a mess but so fucking hilarious. Ryohei and Gokudera keep butting heads because Gokudera finds him annoying and Ryohei says his smoking is going to give him secondhand smoke and hurt his health. Tsuna ends up getting a cold because he accidentally gets knocked into the water when 59 and 33 keep fighting but no one is paying attention to him clearly being sick and he ends up still going because Kyoko gave him support similar to the volleyball chapter (Also this is how we learn Shamal is the school nurse).
Everything goes horribly wrong to a point it loops back to being funny. 59 and 33 are STILL fighting and knock out Team C's captain PLUS Team B's captain got attacked in the bathroom and Reborn is telling everyone that Tsuna, being the captain of Team A, planned everything which Ryohei and Goku IMMEDIATLEY follow. Everyone is pissed off at Tsuna, Binachi is poisoning the other team's (which again everyone a.k.a Reborn keep saying that Tsuna set it up). Ryohei's gone and got the Sports Day Representatives to let Team B and C fight together against A (thanks to Reborn) and they choose HIBARI out of fear of the Public Morals Committee's vengeance. Long story short, shit goes horribly not even because of Tsuna he goes Deathsperation mode, but 59 and 33 are fighting and knock over Yamamoto after Deathsperation!Tsuna jumped on his shoulders and was charging towards Hibari so they've lost. Everyone's jumping the shit out of Tsuna, 59 jumps in to fight and save Tsuna, everyone starts fighting each other and forgetting about Tsuna it's just full on riot, dynamite from who else duh is getting thrown, the field is on fire, and Reborn talking about some 'It's a Field Day, I'll never forget 💖".
But hey, Tsuna forgot his cold 💖
I wish this chapter got adapted.
Questions
1) Last week were the kids, this week we got introduced to the adults. What are your impressions of them? You can skip Shamal.
We NEED to get Haru and Kyoko stun guns against Anime!Quagmire.
2) Tsuna already showed signs of going into Deathperation mode on his own. Should they be going back to Deathperation bullets after the Skullitis incident?
[KHR Spoilers] Wellllllll.....
3) Do you have any experience with babysitting?
Mainly younger cousins since I was always the oldest.
4) Are you exhausted yet? Do you have one more week in you?
I love the daily life arc actually 🤣
1
u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 2d ago
I keep forgetting that the anime didn't even adapt the Sports Day. It really is fantastic, and I could've sworn that I had seen it already when I first read the manga.
We NEED to get Haru and Kyoko stun guns against Anime!Quagmire.
[KHR Spoilers] Wellllllll.....
[KHR Spoilers]Would giving them Deathperation Pills be a bad idea?
I love the daily life arc actually 🤣
I've definitely grown on it over the years! I'm feeling it a bit less than I did last time I went through it, but it has a certain whimsical charm to it.
2
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 5d ago
First-Time Hitman, subbed
Episode 8
Oh boy, now what?
Okay, so, he’s the (unwilling) boss of a different family then?
Dino’s just roasting the shit out of Tsuna on first meeting, hah.
I like how baffled the bear in this flashback is.
Dino “sore demo”!
Don’t think you really have a choice at this point, Tsuna.
Naruhodo, so that’s how it works…
So that’s why the turtle suddenly got super big. And… it’s eating the fucking bath tub now?
omg, this actually worked to give Dino a power up?
Uh… Is this a test?
It was.
Damn, those two actually beat up the yakuza on their own?
Ah, welp.
Episode 9
F
Wasn’t it you, Gokudera?
What the…
Dude, she’s not interested in you.
lol alright then.
…huh.
The way Reborn just deadpan delivers lines like this is so funny.
Bro.
I could really do without a character like this.
Seriously…?
So she actually was thinking about something like that…
Fuck off.
I can see why this was necessary “training” for Tsuna, though.
Um. Alright then.
Episode 10
Reborn, what the hell is that disguise?
Unfortunate.
Oh I immediately see where this is going.
Yeah, I-Pin must have absolutely caught Tsuna’s lunch while Lambo caught the nitroglycerin.
That’s just… nasty.
Well, this should be fun.
As though they needed this to happen now of all times.
Gokudera dribbling Lambo like a basketball in the background lol.
Tsuna ended up with his lunch in the end, that’s good.
OH NO!
What the heck?
…so Gokudera’s Bianchi-induced trauma only triggers if he sees her face specifically?
Dude…
Hahaha, Haru is also too intense.
She actually just suplexed him!
Now why did you find it in the tree?
Episode 11
Boy, you are too young for that.
Hah, had a feeling Haru was gonna be the one in the dress.
That certainly sounds like something he’d do.
I see Yamamoto is the dense type.
Pff
Ah, Kyoko’s more worried about her cake-eating habits being spotted by Tsuna than the fact that he’s there with Haru.
lmao
Going straight from cake to gyoza sure is something.
Uh… uh-oh.
What even?
Of course there’s only one…
All’s well that ends well after all that, then.
Episode 12
Um.
…at least it’s not cockroaches?
Good for Gokudera?
Oh god.
Reborn’s random outfits continue to be hilarious.
It’s a spike ball that then explodes on contact with the wall. Incredible.
True.
What even???
I kinda feel bad for Gokudera this episode. He’s trying his best but keeps inadvertently hurting Tsuna…
Suddenly, Yamamoto has a sword instead of a bat?
Huh… I can see this being useful after the switch to battle shounen.
Oh dang…
Oh no, that was Bianchi’s cooking.
Episode 13
Hah.
This lady was actually going to give Lambo money?
Kyoko does look nice.
Is that not always your resolution, Ryohei?
A… what?
Welp.
Of course Yamamoto thinks this game is fun.
Um, you were supposed to not do that, Yamamoto.
Those two are gonna play karuta? The Vongola Family is fucked.
That’s even worse than I thought hahahaha
Oh no…
Ah, this feels like a true New Years challenge.
Dino had his eyes on the chameleon?
Oh, new ED! Sounds nice.