Let me tell you right now, 148 episodes is not enough. I would give anything for more episodes of arguably the most outstanding series I have ever had the good fortune of watching.
Story - I'm not going to go into detail about the story; you can read the synopsis for that. I'll instead talk about the storytelling itself. The story starts off fairly interesting and grows exponentially more interesting per episode/arc. The author, Togashi, has an amazing sense of pacing; some plots take several episodes to resolve, but so much happens in each episode that it becomes something that enhances the show. The story is also incredibly immersive because of how well Togashi builds the HxH world. As you follow the main characters on their journey, you learn more and more about just how expansive and unique the world is. There's always something new to explore, which really does make the show feel like an adventure.
Each arc varies in tone. The show starts off pretty light, and gradually gets darker. My god does it get darker. Not to imply that the light arcs are inferior; they're still immensely enjoyable. The show just contains many different forms of entertainment. The darker arcs will include scenarios and scenes of such intensity, drama, and action, that you won't understand how anyone could've possibly waited a week for the next episode. Lastly, there's one element in the story that snuck up on me and transformed into something so beautiful and moving that I simply didn't know what to do with myself.
10/10
Characters - There are very few ways to adequately describe how brilliantly the author writes such likeable, unique, and interesting characters. And I mean all of them. This is a rare kind of show where every time I see a character come back after not being around, I feel such joy seeing them. Especially the villains - you will love the villains so much that you legitimately will not know who to root for at many parts in the series. The show often develops villains so much that I found myself at times hating a "good guy" just because of what they did to a "bad guy".
10/10
Sound - I know this upsets many people but I enjoy watching dubbed anime. However, this is on my short list of shows where the voice acting in Japanese is so good, I'm afraid of a dub being made because I honestly don't think the characters can be done justice. I'm even afraid to watch the original 1999 version because the voice actors are different.
As for the soundtrack, I don't have much to say. The soundtrack fits the show remarkably well, however there's nothing particularly outstanding about it (save for a few episodes, when a "requiem" is played for a certain character for example).
9/10
Art - The art studio Madhouse really brought their A-game. Their production of this show is almost paramount to how enjoyable it is. As great as the manga is, it wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable without the stunning artwork and directing that Madhouse designed.
10/10
Enjoyment - This is pretty self-explanatory at this point. If I could erase my knowledge of any anime and watch it from the beginning, it would likely be this one. Hell, at this point I'd gladly watch 30 episodes of pure filler just to see more of the characters and the world.
10/10
Regardless of the genres you enjoy, Hunter x Hunter is guaranteed to be a breath of fresh air. Togashi seems to have a penchant to subvert almost every trope and cliche in the book, leaving you guessing at every turn. The result is a brilliant and captivating piece of entertainment, guaranteed to captivate you like almost no other show can. Whatever your answer to the question "what makes a series great?" is, know that Hunter x Hunter has it.
P.S. Hisoka is love, Hisoka is life.
