About two thirds through Hunter x Hunter’s 148 episodes, I realized its soundtrack reminded me of Mozart. I started listening to various songs and compilations while working. One day, I caught a fateful comment below one of the music videos: “And then, in the end, when they died…”
My brain reacted immediately: “Wait a minute…what?! They’re gonna die? Who kills the two main characters of a show after 100+ episodes? Isn’t the manga still going? Did they replace who it’s about? And who spoilers halfway through a top-rated Youtube comment anyway? Damn it!”
For the next week or so, I raced through the rest of the show. I couldn’t believe Gon and Killua were about to say farewell. How? When? Why? The show manages to build out a wonderful, pure friendship between two preteen boys. I was genuinely anxious for that to connection to end—that’s what a good story does, isn’t it?
I watched episodes during lunch breaks, binged more at night, even upped the speed on some filler material, something I usually avoid like the plague. And then, on episode 135, it finally hit me: That comment was talking about other characters. All I had raced to was the wrong conclusion!
Ultimately, there was no need to speed through the show. No need to wonder if this would happen or that. I even rated the show already in my head. “If they actually off these kids, that’ll put a real dent in the overall feel!” Many of my thoughts in the week following that comment were built on a single expectation, and that expectation turned out to be wrong! Poof! The only thing that was eliminated were the results of my mental gymnastics.
Life is better without spoilers—but if you do encounter one, can you still refrain from judging what’s coming before it actually arrives? That’s a hard test. I failed it this time. But like the two boy heroes in one of my favorite shows who are never down for too long, I can’t wait to try again.
If the finish line might be nothing more than a wrong conclusion, why race when you can walk and enjoy the view?
