In 2001 I was working at an up-start anime company in Los Angeles. My supervisor and I, who ran retail, had just been transferred to another section of the building. As I typed away at my keyboard, she decorated the walls with appropriate memorabilia. From my immediate right I soon fell under the penetrating gaze of a character unfamiliar to me. His hair was wild and untame, his eyes were calm and piercing, like a cat’s, accentuated by an unexpected, almost imperceptible smile. I’d seen and read nothing about him, but I knew that he was clever, reserved, and impishly mischievous. Downright wicked, perhaps. But not without feeling.

I had long since established a policy for myself which forbade the collection of character memorabilia on the sole basis of aesthetic without an intimate familiarity with the source. This, of course, was designed to temper unnecessary expenditures. I had never broken this rule before I encountered this poster (and have done so only once in the time since). It could only be purchased as part of a set, and I secured the whole lot to obtain it.

The name “Killua” was scrawled above the character’s left shoulder and the title “Hunter x Hunter appeared on the bottom. I had heard the title before but had only the very vague impression that it was an action series of some kind, perhaps like Dragon Ball, and probably geared more toward young audiences. I purchased the poster, but did not agressively pursue any more info on the series.

In 2003 I was searching for something new to watch and still harbored a curiosity for the character that had effortlessly ensnared me two years before. I finally downloaded the first episode of HxH. It was. . . not what I’d expected.

While the artwork was not extraordinary by Japanese standards, it had a soul; a richness instilled by the affection with which the tale was crafted. Although the story was not psychologically or culturally challenging and could border on the exaggerated or absurd (attributes I have avoided, having been inundated with them in american media), it was clearly not carelessly written or woven together. Molded with thoughtful patience and subtlety, it was deceptively provoking, carefully infused with moments of startling poignancy and, with just a few episodes, dangerously and irreparably addicting.

To my acute astonishment, Hunter x Hunter went on to surpass even my sentimental favorite, Gundam Wing, in establishing itself, against all precedent, as my all around favorite series. But even more bizarre, Killua so epitomized the type of character to whom I naturally gravitate, friends instantly identified him as my favorite without prompting.

Meanwhile, the poster still hangs above me at my computer. He must be sick of me by now - but not I, him. :P