Hunter x Hunter (2011)

The lack of popularity surrounding Hunter x Hunter (2011) has always confused me, especially after catching up to it six months ago. For an anime that seems to do everything right, it isn't talked about a lot at a popular level. Neither has it been successful in garnering a fan base similar to that of SNK or SAO. I decided to write this review to do the show justice. If a show this good is still flying under your radar or if you are discouraged from watching this because of its "childish appearance" then reading this review is a must.

Story:
HxH is about a young boy ... named Gon who embarks on a journey to find his father. After learning that his father left him at a young age to become a Hunter, Gon decides to follow in his footsteps not only to find him, but also to see what was so special about the profession that made his father choose it over him. Although a story of finding one's father is simple, it is the path that is taken towards this end that makes the series truly special. HxH is made up of several arcs that are all extremely well-written, which brings me to the best part of the series, the writing. Hunter x Hunter (2011) boasts one of the finest writing in the world of shonen; the depth and flow of the story, enthralling characterizations, strong dialogue and impressive world-building are all crafted into a fascinating tale that can absorb viewers into lengthy marathons.

The amount of variety that is packed into HxH's story is also very impressive. HxH successfully dabbles in several genres in six story arcs tackling survival, fighting tournaments, crime thriller, virtual realities, war and politics. Not only that, the series is also able to undergo significant tonal shifts with ease (light to dark and vice versa). Sometimes, these shifts in tone occur after an arc ends though other times, it even occurs mid-arc. Another thing about HxH is that its arcs are connected with one another, with each arc naturally following the one before it. This creates a natural transition that highlights what the series really is, a journey. As for pacing and development, they are excellent. For the most part, HxH is very well paced. The series does a fantastic job at keeping its viewers engaged, time will fly by as you watch most episodes and you'll find yourself breezing through the show. Excluding two recap episodes, HxH has no filler episodes. Due to this, story progression is solid with the plot moving forward with each episode.

Although HxH initially gives off a light hearted impression, it gives off a good one. Not the kind of “light heartedness” that makes you say “this is childish and below me” but the kind that appeals to everyone. HxH gives off that classic and charming shonen vibe that has been lost in recent years, and it does so with its head held up high. Eventually though, the series takes a dark turn. Although most HxH story arcs are light hearted, both Yorknew and the Chimera Ant arc are two of the best and darkest arcs shonen has to offer. Yorknew can be described as a dark thriller in a big city. The central theme of the arc is revenge and it is similar to Death Note in terms of thrill and atmosphere. On the other hand, the Chimera Ants arc can be described as an attempt by the Hunters Association to control an outbreak of a dangerous man-eating species. It is the darkest and most thematically powerful arc in the series tackling themes such as identity, human nature and survival of the fittest. The arc has drawn comparisons to Yu Yu Hakusho’s Chapter Black for its seinen-like nature and is similar to Shingeki no Kyojin, where the protagonists experience a strong sense of despair in the face of a vastly superior, hostile species. The series undergoes major tonal shifts in both arcs with the color palette, music, atmosphere and amount of violence changing significantly.

However, what sets the series apart from other battle anime is its unorthodoxy and unpredictability. Shonen tropes and storytelling methods are undermined throughout the series. The main character for example, Gon, fails more than he succeeds. Power-ups based on emotion or willpower are non-existent and fighting in the series is radically different from other battle anime. The main protagonist is not the main focus of every arc either. At certain points in the series, you could even say that Gon has taken a supporting role, especially during the later portions of the CA arc where he isn't given as much focus due to the grand scope of the story. The standard battle anime formula of “lose-train-win” is also undermined. Although there is training, it does not always translate to a victory, nor does it propel the protagonists over or to the same level as their main adversaries in terms of strength. For the most part, the protagonists assume the underdog role. Although they have incredible potential, they are still kids who have a lot to learn. In terms of storytelling, unpredictable developments are commonplace. One thing that continues to amaze me with this show is how it leads viewers into thinking that the story will progress in this direction, only to change course and arrive at a completely different outcome. A good example of this would be the series' arcs which often end in an anti-climatic manner. Basically, there are a lot of scenes and story developments that you won’t see coming because they defy conventional shonen storytelling or are unpredictable in their own right.

The series' unorthodoxy can also be seen in its fights which are primarily cerebral. In addition to being well-executed, HxH fights are smart and involve a lot of strategy. Raw power is a factor but it is not the factor that decides battle outcomes, actual power (nen abilities), experience and strategy are all taken into account. If a main character is outclassed by an opponent in all or most categories, he is likely to lose. Moreover, main characters are not given any special treatment in combat. This smart approach to fighting is further enhanced by nen, a unique and complex power system held by defined rules. The concept of nen, its principles, aura types and many applications on the battlefield reveal the huge amount of thought that was put into it. I still remember having to pause episodes, even research a bit during its introduction, just to digest it in its entirety.

The appearance and writing of the series also create an effect of cognitive dissonance, the simplistic look of the show mentally conflicts with the brilliance and unorthodoxy of its writing. As new viewers delve deeper into HxH, they realize that there is much more to the show than its cover art and synopsis suggest. Expectations of the series being immature, simple or generic are progressively overturned as the show reveals its surprising underbelly.

Sound:
As for sound, HxH has a line of great soundtracks that started off decent but got better as the series progressed. With the exception of a few minor characters, the voice acting in this series is excellent. As a person who has never seen the old series it’s hard to believe that these aren't the original voices because they fit extremely well, especially those of Gon, Killua and Hisoka whose voice actors do a perfect job of capturing their characters.

Art:
HxH also has great art and animation. It amazes me how a long-running series like HxH delivers consistent quality animation episode after episode, especially during the fights. The series does a great job of capturing facial expressions and everything from the lighting, shading and colors adjust perfectly depending on the mood of the scene or the tone of the arc. As one reviewer (nagaiyume) said, the bright colors of the show might need some getting used to, though it is usually fans of the old series who have this problem. Personally, I think it fits the show perfectly. It adds to the charm of the series by complementing its sense of adventure, uplifting atmosphere and unique appeal as a shonen that looks simple but is actually remarkably deep.

Characters:
Although HxH’s primary strength lies in its writing, its characters come pretty damn close. HxH has a huge cast of characters. They have quirks, dreams, inner demons, world views and overall, really likable personalities. To top it off, most of them don’t follow generic character archetypes. Although some may initially come across as “generic”, these assumptions are gradually undermined as the series progresses.

If there's one thing I want to emphasize in the character department it would be the series main villains. When it comes to characters, this is where the show shines the brightest. HxH villains are extremely well-written (with the exception of the Bomber who won't apply to most of what I'll say below). Not only are their characterizations independently impressive, they are also distinct from one another; no two villains are the same. This distinctness does not only apply within the series but outside of it. You won't find another Hisoka, Chrollo or Ant King in any other anime. This is what makes HxH villains so compelling, in addition to having really impressive characterizations, they are also original. Although I excluded one out of the four main villains from most of what I wrote above, all HxH villains do have one thing in common. Each villain strikes fear into audience, the series does a good job of establishing the level of danger these characters bring to the story and our protagonists.

Negatives:
However, while HxH is a great series it isn't perfect. The series doesn't have a strong start, it takes three episodes for show to get going. I've seen a lot of people drop HxH early and it sucks because the first two episodes don't capture the series at all. Things start to get mildly interesting in the third episode, after that, the series just gets better and better. HxH also suffers from occasional BGM misuse. There are odd sound choices for some scenes. Sometimes they don’t really fit, other times they don’t fit it all. Lastly, the Chimera Ant arc also has minor issues with both Togashi and Madhouse to blame. Togashi’s fault lies in his writing during the middle of the CA arc which I think, pales in comparison to the rest of the series. HxH has made a name for itself for holding a consistent high level throughout its run; it’s a series that’s just so engaging and easy to marathon. However, I believe this consistency took a hit mid-CA arc (due to handling of the story and pacing) specifically, episodes 89-98. Don’t get me wrong though, I think there are a fair number of good episodes within that 9-episode stretch but unfortunately, they are surrounded by mediocre episodes that break the consistency of an otherwise exceptional arc. Madhouse’s fault lies in its adaption of the manga chapters comprising episodes 113 and 115, which were dragged out in order to have episode 116 handled by their best animation team. Episode 113 was actually well paced except for one atrocious sequence while episode 115 as a whole was generally poorly paced.

A clarification about the "slowed down pacing" of Chimera Ant arc:
If you’ve been reading up about HxH, you’ve probably seen some people complain about the “poor pacing” during the “narration heavy episodes” of the CA arc. Well if you’re wondering how much truth is there to this statement and were going to ask me about it, my answer would be it depends.

At episode 111, the palace invasion (climax of the CA arc) begins and narration begins to play a huge role in episodes in order to (1) pack a whole level of depth into the story and (2) increase dramatic tension. Rather than a high octane "action fest" people would expect from a shonen arc climax, the palace invasion takes a psychological heavy route wherein a character’s thoughts and mental state are given more focus than the actual action. This psychological focus together with the narration slows down the pace considerably in the sense that episodes begin to cover a lot less in narrative time. However, despite this “slowed down pace”, the pacing of these episodes remain solid with good amount of manga chapters being covered during each of these episodes and the duration of scenes being on point (except for episodes 113 and 115 which I mentioned earlier in this review).

In the end, it depends if the narration works on you or not. If you like the psychological approach and experience an increase in suspense then you’ll have no problems with the pacing and are in for one helluvah of a ride. However, if you don’t like the psychological approach and feel that the narrator’s heavy presence breaks your immersion then you’re in for a grueling experience. Of course, there are other combinations such as liking the psychological route but not feeling the immersion or maybe the narration just didn't work on you completely. Well, if this happens to be the case then you’ll end up with mixed feelings. On the bright side, most people who end up watching the invasion end up enjoying the narration. However, if you happen to be one of the good number of people who end up not liking the narration don’t worry, only episodes 111-118 of the palace invasion have heavy narration. After episode 118, the narration begins to decrease and episodes eventually reach a point where they are “back to normal”.

Heads up to people looking for action:
Although I love the fighting aspect of the series and consider it to be a strong plus, I’ll leave this out there for the sake of subjectivity. HxH does not cater to everyone. Although fights in the series are well-executed, they are also short (1-10 minutes) and happen less in comparison to other battle anime. Moreover, the focus on strategy in battles might be off putting to people who prefer fights with more brawn and less brain. If you're expecting an action heavy series like Yu Yu Hakusho then you will be disappointed. This is because HxH is a series that relies on its story to reel in viewers. Personally, I think this is how fighting in shonen should be done. Fighting should be able to entertain and also make you think. It shouldn't drag on for too long at the expense of the story without leaving you underwhelmed.

Conclusion:
Hunter x Hunter (2011) is an intelligent battle anime with a fantastic story, excellent characters and fights that involve a lot of strategy. Separating it from most of its genre, the series subverts shonen tropes and boasts unpredictable plot progressions that make it truly unique.

Overall scores:
Story: 10/10 (Outstanding)
Characters: 10/10 (Outstanding)
Art: 9/10 (Great)
Sound: 8/10 (Great but occasionally misused)
Enjoyment: 10/10 (Extremely high)
Overall: 10/10 (Masterpiece)

---The review contains spoilers---

“You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want”. (Hunter Election Arc).

I don’t have words enough to describe what was this 148 episodes for me.
I'll not spend this review talking about the Synopsis, because It’s right here on MAL.
I need to tell you, why you must watch this masterpiece, and what it represents to me.

First of all I’m gonna talk about the final episode. I felt Joy, sadness, angry (Togashi hurry up with the manga! hahah), and of course, satisfaction. Satisfaction because I heard my friends (you NEED ... to watch it), because it wasn’t time wasted, because those 148 episodes, and the nights that I spent watching, were worth, really. Hunter x Hunter is a complex anime, a peculiar story, something that, certainly, will mix up with your feelings, with your thoughts, with your conception of a Shonen.

What do I mean? It’s not that simple. But I’ll try to clarify: Don’t think that you’re about to find predictable arcs. Don't think that the heroes gonna always beat the villains (In some parts of the story... nobody wins). Don’t think that training and good skills can ensure that you'll defeat an enemy, sometimes you'll need more than that. Behold what humans can be (and Togashi show us really well in Chimera Ant Arc). Behold what friendship can be, in all it’s complexity. You’re not gonna see in this anime that kind of Main Character that is AWESOME for no reason, no training. Togashi will make you understand the personality of the characters and their powers. Power, I mean, Nen or aura (vital energy), similar to what we see in other shonens like, Dragon Ball (Ki) or Naruto (Chakra). It's presented to us really well how the "Nen system" works. The explanations are long in some episodes, but simple to understand.

Talking now about the animation: Hunter x Hunter is breathtaking . Indeed, it can be said that Madhouse did an excellent job with the remake . I was amazed with what I saw in some episodes. I confess that many of them I've watched over and over again, just to observe the details of the animation, and not only what was happening in the story ( Episode 131 I’ve watched 4 times ). In the end , I'm grateful that Madhouse animated Hunter x Hunter from the beginning .

The characters.. oh they are unique, really. It's quite impressive how Togashi gave to them a variety of personalities. You'll not gonna enjoy only the four main characters (although many consider that the main are Gon and Killua, since the story focuses more on the two of them from a certain phase). Hunter x Hunter have a significant character development on the supporting ones too, and, of course in the villains (you'll love them, believe me). I don't have a favorite character in this show. It's impossible to choose one. Watch it and you'll experience what I'm saying.

You mean this show has nothing bad?
Yes it has.
1) The worst thing in this show is: It ended.
Okay, joking aside, I think is the worst part is the beginning. You have to watch 4 or 5 episodes to feel in the mood to still watching. Many people just gave up in the first episodes. I can ensure you, go on and watch it til the end.
Particularly I don’t like so much The Hunter Exam Arc, the first arc of the story. If you compare with the other arcs it’s really not the best one. I have in my heart this two arcs: Chimera Ant Arc and Yorknew city Arc.

The second thing many fans of the show complains a LOT, is the Opening song. Why? 148 episodes, different openings, but... THE SAME SONG. For me it wasn't a problem at all. I love the song, and... I think I watched the opening “one hundred and forty-eight” times and I sang it. Hahaha. But I really wanted to see a new song too.

The third thing is totally my personal opinion: the narrator. Your first contact with him will be in the begining of the early episodes. He will explain what is a Hunter.
The narration it's something that we don't see a lot in other animes. I like it, it's brilliant and I totally understand that this add gives the anime the suspense and it's particular style.
The advantage of having a narrator, in my opinion, is the ''observer factor''. Instead of exploring the point of view of all the characters, we have that peculiar element that seems to know everything and adds important information to the audience.
But, eventually, the narrator annoys me, specially in the Chimera ant Arc. I mean: we see what's going on, it's not necessary an explanation!
Of course that the ''narration effect'' will depend on the way you receive it. Sometimes will give that "slow motion" you'll need to absorb what's going on, but in a few episodes it's really overused.

In conclusion, I have to thank above all, you Togashi Yoshihiro. You're brilliant. You can make unique characters, outstanding plots. You still go on, and on, in successive hiatus in the manga, and everyone complains a lot (even me), but then what you show to us is so amazing that makes it worth waiting. Thank you for exist and for this awesome masterpiece.
For you that didn't watch it yet, do not be fooled by the first few episodes or with the synopsis. Both of them will give you the impression that you're about to see a generic shounen. Insist. This is a kind of anime that in each episode everything seems to evolve: the story, the setting, the characters. You will be hooked, unable to stop watching .
And then my friend, you will start to feel pain. Yes, pain, when you realize that you're at the 100º episode and there is only 48 episodes left.

Embrace this adventure called Hunter x Hunter! xD

At first, when I read the synopsis of hunter x hunter (2011) (for the rest of this review will be called hxh as abbreviation) I could not quite deduce the rationality of this show being scored and reviewed with such praise as it receives on a daily basis. I am sure many of you ,who are planning to pick up this show sometime soon, are thinking the same as I did before watching this show and I will do my best to change any contravening opinions towards this series.

Story: 9

As you all have likely read the synopsis of hxh, it certainly stands out from most ... other shounen ever made. There is a kid that decides to go on an adventure, for a particular purpose, meets friends, becomes stronger and eventually defeats powerful opponents. It doesn't come off as a very complex or intriguing story/plot, nor is there a generic/forgettable cast and an amassed other facts that would remind you of how forgettable this show probably is. Believe me it's not.
Beyond the first few episodes which this generalised speculation derives from, you will see that hxh differs from most shounen in terms of intelligence (strategic battles, clever arcs and plot) and the pacing of the whole show throughout each arc is outstanding. The absence of fillers throughout the 148 episodes ( excluding recaps) makes this show that much less frustrating to watch.
You may have heard an arc in particular, that the MAL community keeps on raving about: the Chimera Ant arc. Without throwing any spoilers in this review, the hype is worth it. This arc is, by most fans of the franchise, seen as a masterstoke and with good reason. The previous arcs create a substantial build-up to the C.A arc which makes the emphasis and usefulness of the arc that much more prominent.
However, the only factor that prevented my rating of a 9 to a 10, was the slow start and the half-open ending; while it not bad and was a good conclusion to the show, left the viewer rather unsettled with the whole experience.


Characters: 10

Where hxh really shines is in the shows' magnificent cast. As stated in my introduction, typically, most shounen do not have the best cast of characters that anime has brought out to the community, and more often than not defeat their enemies using the all-mighty force that is 'the power of friendship(!)' which brings sweet victory and joy to the protagonists of the show. Forget this ever existed in anime when watching hxh, as the sincere friendship that is witnessed between the main cast is nothing short of magnificent. It is realistic and evolves over a long period of time.
What makes the characters of hxh further at a stand-point, is that the antagonists are (for the most part) just as likable as the protagonists. Every character is very well developed ( every = any character that mattered to the story) and therefore does not make you want to spurt out the words " Wow, this character sucks " , with the exception of the bomber which, when watching the series, you will notice that had no real purpose for doing things to the extent that he did.
Finally, I will talk about my three favorite characters of the series:

1. Gon

I love Gon. At first he seems like your everyday generic protagonist that has no potential to evolve as a person. He comes across as useless and annoying.Then along the way something happens to him; something that is rarely in a protagonist like him. This is called ' Character Development '. The development that Gon receives throughout the series is fantastic and will make you love him until the end. He truly is desperate to find his father and the audience can see how he never throws in the towel.

2. Killua

There's something really likable about white-haired guys in anime and Killua does not fall short in this aspect. He has a broad and complex backstory, and again, like Gon, significant development, which is seen to play a phenomenal role to how realistic the friendship between Gon and Killua is. His background as an assassin and his scarring childhood coupled with his raw talent and one-of-a-kind personality makes him a lovable and three-dimensional character.

3. Meruem

Without spoiling much, Meruem is truly an unbelievable antagonist. At first you envision he is ruthless for no purpose, and comes off as a cliche and rather irritating being. With the meeting of another character you see how he evolves and how his facade in his personality makes him one of the best,if not the greatest character in the series.


Art and Animation: 9

When watching an anime that has a plethora of episodes such as hxh, one would expect a decline and rise in animation from time to time. However, Madhouse did a terrific job at keeping the animation and art as consistent and fluid as possible. The amount of money that was spent purely on budget really surprised me and the animation only gets better as the series progresses. When entering the C.A arc, you will see that Madhouse used their best animators to produce stunning images intertwined
with outlines, shadows and fluency that serves as 'eye-candy' when watching the series. Battle sequences are as well a proof of how much effort is poured into this show, as the studio does not tend to cut corners, e.g using the same background over and over again.
The opening and endings' animation improves significantly st time progresses, which blows my mind when comparing the differences in appearance. That is to say, the animation was brilliant at the start of the anime as well.


Sound: 9

The opening: 'Departure' is used throughout the entire anime although it switches between two different versions of the song, as well as changing the animation sequence each time, and this amazes me as every opening suits the anime perfectly! I did not skip the opening even once when watching the series; instead I stared smiling and singing along to the music.
The endings are all fantastic in my opinion, and I love all the songs that are presented to the audience at the end of each episode. The order for me goes
1>4>2>3>5=6 (5 & 6 are different sections of the same song) but I love them all nevertheless.
The ost of the anime is one of the best I have heard in any anime. My personal favorite is ' A kingdom of Predators'. It consists of a great variety of orchestra (mostly in the C.A arc) and lots of violin and piano that can be heard as well. However, sometimes the ost is not played at the most appropriate moments which prevents a score of 10 being given.
Monumental credibility must be given to the voice actors, and for Gon in particular, which is seen especially at episode 116, the mere brilliance that is spurted as 'emotions though words' is extraordinary. The only complaint that I sometimes hear arriving from people is that the narration in the C.A arc ( for around 10 episodes) is irritating and overwhelms the episodes, making them seem extremely slow-paced. I tend to disagree with this argument , as the pacing seems to only benefit by the narration of those episodes, as it was a crucial moment in the series where narration was essential. I hope you won't find this narration an issue, since I certainly didn't.

Enjoyment: 9

Wow what a joyful ride this was. It keeps you hooked from early on and urges you to watch the next episode after experiencing the wonderful ending of each arc. The enjoyment factor, of course, originated from the entirety of the show. If any of the above were to be done poorly, the show would not come out to be nearly as enjoyable as it was. I not once felt bored during this series, and I believe that the pacing is fabulous. There's not a single moment that leaves the viewer wanting to skip ahead or fast-forward. As a result, I am almost certain that you will watch this show, engulfed by the brilliance of this anime.

Overall: 9

Believe me when i tell you this: this show is a near masterpiece; as close of a masterpiece as a show of this genre gets. Don't be fooled while watching this anime, and drop it due to its slow start, as you may miss out on a truly miraculous experience.
Thank you for reading my review of Hunter x Hunter (2011). Have a great day. RedInfinity out.

HxH is one of the many overrated shounen anime out there and I can summarize my review with one sentence: „If you became kinda interested in HxH, because you have heard it’s so much more than just a shounen, don’t believe it, because it is exactly that, just another shounen." Now I’m not a fan of shounen, and if you read this review you will find out why, so this anime is not made for me, but just for more diversity in views I will analyze this anime a bit closer.

HxH is one of those anime where you can literally see the quality dropping, with ... the earlier episodes being made nicely and at the end it has one of the longest pacings I have ever seen. Since the artstlye isn’t in any form detailed and costly they can’t tell me they ran out of money. I assume they just wanted to milk the cashcow to the end and stretched it out as much as possible.
Like I said before the start of the show was quite nice. It had a few things which didn’t really make any sense, especially the riddles, but it had a nice build up and a good pacing. It seemed to me as if the start also really wanted to surprise the viewers with something unexpected, regardless of how illogical it was. It also didn’t do much good in terms of atmosphere, in some cases it even destroys the atmosphere it built up just for surprise reasons. The main characters are also unexplained overpowered, sure there are a few stronger but that alone doesn’t justify a little kid being physically stronger than a well-trained grown up man, just because he “grew up in the woods”, which is btw contradicted later on. But besides a few negative things to say, the start (first 17-20 episodes maybe) was ok. It had a goal and set motivation from the character side, the main story kinda made sense (more than the rest of the show) and they had some kind of, what the fans claim as “tactics in fighting”.

In the second arc the terror already begins. Motivations from the character were completely forgotten and not even mentioned in order to have a little conflict for the goal of this arc. The reason for the first arc and what they have achieved was completely pointless and even contradictory as explained in the later arcs. The following arcs shine with, not knowing what to call somethings. For the show an assassin is someone who is physically strong and can endure much pain instead of being stealthy and deadly, the so called “mafia” is a bunch of unorganized idiots who apparently have a lot of power (they at least have a lot of money) which is contradictory in every way and let me question the whole world building of this anime and we still don't know what a Hunter is and does. The writers have no idea of how money works, which wouldn’t be a problem if they hadn’t dedicated a whole arc just for money getting purposes, which later on is also completely useless. Not to forget the story is full of convenience, which goes beyond the acceptable amount. Some of the arcs are complete filler since they either are pointless or have nothing to do with the final goal (the motivation of the main protagonist). There is even one arc were the main protagonist is inside a video game and literally the first thing he hears there is that being here is completely pointless, but he doesn’t care and goes on anyway, which makes the whole arc pointless and questions the existence of the build up to it.

This show becomes less endurable from arc to arc, with the mafia arc being an exception but still not good. It’s like comparing a pile of shit with a pile of shit which has a cherry on top of it. Seeing the later arcs lets you remember the earlier ones as if they were in any way good, that’s how horrible this show gets.

HunterxHunter also likes to copy or inlcude everything that was or is popular it seems. That goes from character design (Robocop) even to whole story arcs (the video card game arc which included cardgames like magic the gathering).

A thing that really bothers me as well is the fact that this show has no scale what so ever. The abilities and the strength of every character are so completely random and out of order. It even shifts during the whole anime, making character who should be strong considering their rank utterly weak and character who should be weak unnecessary strong. Its like as if one writer wrote the hierarchy of all the characters and their relationship and then another decided, because how much he liked their appearance how strong they are.

All of the above was pretty much the first half of the show. The show was like I said very bad but had at least some arcs which were watchable and had a decent pacing. From episode 80 onwards the chimera arc takes place. This is basically the main difference between the original version of the HunterxHunter anime and the 2011 version.

The chimera arc is the worst thing I have seen in a long time in terms of writing. You can’t take anything they say and do seriously, since the character design is so freaking retarded. They say they are ants but then a penguin and a pink panda in a suit is sitting there with them. The writers wanted to make this arc dark and mature but only present it in such a childish way.

In this arc HxH really shows how little time they spend with thinking through the whole thing. Where villains came from and what their motivation is was never a thing HunterXHunter spends any time in but in this case it makes absolutely no sense that some ant-people who just came into existence are able to be as strong as one of the strongest person in the whole anime. So again.. no scale existend. And with no time spend with motivation and personification the writers now believe they can put drama in the show when the villains die. Are you freaking kidding me? Yeah the ants just killed hundreds if not thousands of people and now I should feel sorry for them? The drama in this whole anime is the worst sort of melodrama, forced and reliable so much on double standarts.

In the last arc the tactics really shine, in terms of sucking. In the last 50 episodes there is only a handful of fights anyways, so there is not much to talk about, but the tactics there is so utterly idiotic. There is so much bullshit that happened during this arc, there was not 1 episode where I wasn’t facepalming.
But all of the above would have been minor points if it wasn’t for how boring this whole arc was. The reason I criticize their “tactics” is only because they spend so much time with talking and every fan thinks the tactics are so great. 90% of the time they talk about irrelevant stuff and when it comes to real tactics they are utterly bullshit, convenient or deus ex machina.

Characters of this show are not in any terms special. Have you seen either Naruto, One Piece, Bleach you know the personality of the main character. Add a bunch of extra typical side characters and you got them all. It’s just the typical teenager character who is strong enough to change the world stuff. In HunterXHunter they at least didnt go full overpowered with the main character, but considering the age of the protagonist and the enemies he is fighting later on I would say its pretty unrealistic (also there are some moments later on were our MC goes into deus ex machina overpowered mode for some reason). He is a very wish-fulfilling character and not that much of a role model (so instead of giving him realistic trades he is super positive all the time and strong etc.). I think there is nothing really wrong with this wish-fulfilling kind of anime, but they just feel very childish. So saying this is more than a shounen is really wrong.


Music is also pretty bad. All the good songs were copies of famous classical songs, such as Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem, the rest is rather forgettable boring background music. Artstyle is simple and character design in the WHOLE show is the worst I have ever seen, but that’s ofc only my opinion. I found it to be nice to see no cgi, if I remember correctly.


So overall: This show is not more than a shounen and I might add the worst written shonen I have ever seen, but I am not into that genre so I only saw a few of them. If you are a person who likes more mature stuff and think there is something behind this anime, otherwise it wouldn’t be so popular, don’t fall for the trap and stay away from it. At the end you will just regret it.

After reading the many overwhelmingly positive reviews about this show, I've decided to write a more realistic, honest and unbiased opinion-driven review about this show.
Many people have said how amazing this show is, and that it's incredibly unique and special. Did I? Well yes......and no.
I am probably one of the very few people that didn't consider this series a masterpiece
Story:

Hunters are people who hunt. Whether it is criminals, treasures, rare creatures or even food, they will hunt it.
We have the story of Gon, a young boy living on Whale island, aspiring to become a hunter like his father, Ging, a legendary hunter who abondoned ... him while he was born to chase his dream. Gon also wants to meet his father and find out why he abondoned him while he was a baby.
To become a hunter, he must pass the dastardly difficult hunter exams, which has an extremely low success rate. Along to way to the exams, he meets a few friends, rivals and a creepy paedo clown, hence beginning the first arc. After that, the concept of nen is introduced, which is basically the life force and magical power source of the series. The concept of nen is actually pretty cool, and it's more complicated to use than some other powers like alchemy and chakra, and it's creativity is often shined upon in fights. However, creativity can destory things aswell, and sometimes nen can be used as an over complicated ability with too much time used to explain different powers.
After the exams, there are arcs all varying in tones and stories and this is where problems arise. Some are dark, and some are light. Some arcs are excellent and others are well......terrible dog shit.
None of the arcs are linked well together and are very disjointed and inconsistent.
Instead of focusing on an overall story, the arcs feel like a bunch of mini-stories building up to a main one, and they focus way too much on the individual arcs instead of an overall story, making it seem like a huge mess. One day, you've got a crime thriller, another one a video game, and then a bug apocalypse. One of the most critcally acclaimed arcs in the series, to me felt like a 60 episode filler, and that experience was not enjoyable at all. It baffles me on how people say it is a masterpiece, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The pacing in this arc was unbelievably bad, as was the horrible story and enemy designs (not the main villains though...they were badass).
The best arc by far is the yorkshin city arc, which doesn't come until episode 40- something.
What's more disappointing is that the story of hunter x hunter had huge potential to look into the life of a hunter, but the hunter aspect of the show is not explored much. The final aspect that irked me about the story was over-using narration to the point of unbearable commenting into the smallest of details of the story complicating itself tenfold.
Now, what was good about the story? A decent amount, actually. In the earlier arcs of the series it felt a lot different from other shonen and the individual arc storytelling was actually working very well, as each arc had a purpose to the overall story. Each arc was well written, well paced and had it's fair share of enjoyable and memorable moments. Also the annoying narrator had much less to say. These earlier arcs were much more interesting and intriguing and didn't bore me the way the later arcs did. Really, the quality of the series started degrading by the end of the yorknew city arc.
The early arcs didn't feel like fillers and contributed something, whereas the later arcs were just random and only inflicted minor things to the story, but did more to the development of the characters, which is not a bad thing, but dragging it out for 60 episodes is a crime in it's own right. Overall the story in hunter hunter varied from being amazing to a total dump. However "the total dump" is considered great by everyone, so you should check up the chimera ant arc anyway, you'll probably like it. What the entire story did well were the fights. All of them had wits and brains and didn't take an entire episode just to charge up an attack or talk for hours before the fight. (*cough* Dbz and naruto.)
However, when nen (the series' fighting system) kicks in the story downgrades hugely.
Instead of focusing on the story, we need to sit through pointless training regiments and stupid explanations of the usage of nen. Not to say i hate the series' fighting system, but in my opinion, it is far too complex and uninteresting and it sacrifices decent storytelling and replaces it with boredom. (Yes, it can be boring- if you've got a short attention span don't bother watching the later arcs)
And last thing I want to note is that the chimera ant arc's story was just horrible and boring- mostly due to its snail pacing.
There were many plot holes (why would the hunter association send two under experienced twelve year olds to get rid of the ants? Why didn't netero just bomb the nest to begin with?)
and unnecessary plot points (the whole episode with gyro for example).
But above all, it was boring, and I fell asleep watching it.

Anyway story: 6/10

Art:
Fluid, colourful and bright, the animation is done very well. The large scale battles were animated gorgeously , and they are a joy to watch.
Charcater design wise is a mixed bag. Most of the characters are designed very well, in contrast to the godawful drawings from the manga. However, the chimera ants' design are absolutely horrendous. I know they are chimeras but while I was watching I thought to myself "Wft is this?!"
The design for the chimera ants isn't the animation studio's fault though. The source material is to blame.
9/10

Sound:

The ost is very good, but they do tend to re use the same tracks often so there can be a lack of variety. They also tend to forget earlier songs later in the series.
Voice acting wise, it's done superbly. All the voice actors blend and personalise their characters excellently and they display a lot of emotion and effort as they voice act their roles.
9/10

Characters:
Now this category is a bit difficult to review and I'll explain why later.
The main cast consists of Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio, but I'll focus mainly on Gon and Killua. There are other characters, ususally most important on seperate arcs and i will talk a little about them.

Gon is a 12 year old kid who is, in my opinion, an improved and more realistic version of kid Goku from the original dragon ball, except for the fact that he's not insanely over-powered.
This makes it a good and bad thing. Good is that he's not only a more unique take on your usual happy go lucky young male protagonist, but that he's got layers of emotion to his character and has a rock-lee type moral to keep on getting stronger and improve yourself. Gon is steroeotypical and non stereotypical at the same time, and he's a badass little kid who strives on becoming stronger. The negative is that....he's still got a lot of the same thing. Gon can have a rather predictable personality. One minute he's a clueless little kid for comic relief and the other, he's crying when someone dies. He also doesn't get much development until much later in the show.
All in all he's a decent take on your normal protagonist.

Killua is the white-haired, slanted-eyed guy that's everyone's favourite and rightfully so. He's got a similar, but ultimately different ego compared to his best friend Gon's and he's got layers to his likable personailty and ferocious alter-ego as a darkness-fueled assassin. He's a cool laid back guy that has some serious skill and family relationships. He can seem pretty harmless at first, but piss him off and he'll tear you to shreads. Killua is the one that powers the dynamic and entertaining relationship between him and Gon, and he's a fan favourite character that definitely deserves it.

Now what about the other main characters? THERE ARE NONE. That's right, don't be fooled by the artwork of the anime with gon,killua and the two others (Kurapika the blond cross-dresser and that tall dude with the glasses and suitcase who is Leorio). The other two guys only make appearances in the first arc and the Yorkshin, and then they are forgotten and become irrelevant which is a huge shame and it offends them as characters.
Basically, there's Gon and Killua and then everyone else. Gon and Killua are the only characters prominent throughout the series.
Well, Kurapika and Leorio could be called "important" side characters so I'll talk a bit about them.
Kurapika is a blond-haired badass who is driven by revenge and everything that Sasuke Uchiha should have been. Because a certain organisation wiped out his clan, he desires to hunt that group down and get his revenge. He's also a complex character with layers to him and he's got one of the coolest powers in the show.
however, he only appears in about 40 episodes, which really sucks. We don't know what happens to him when the series ends either.

Leorio is used as a comic relief guy early in the show and portrayed as a bad tempered, money obsessed businessman but he becomes more likable as the series goes on and develops his character with the little screen time he has. Long story short, he is a pretty entertaining and funny character that's certainly not useless.

The side characters and villains are great in their own right but it still irks me that they don't have much screen time until a certain arc, which is a shame.
Killua's family, the Zoldycks are a group of professional Asassins and most of them have a great and powerful presence and each have a set of their own unique personalities. It's a shame that they don't have much screentime.

Netero, the chairman or, boss of the hunter organisation is a pretty complex guy too- you don't know if he's serious or not, you can't just read him like an open book. He's like master roshi or jiraiya with added insanity.
Bisky is a mentor to Gon and Killua and she's a bit of a tsundere with a fearsome alter-ego.

The characters in the chimera ant arc were truly horrible however.
None of the new hunters in that arc were memorable or likable imho. Moving on.

What makes the series truly shine, however, are the villains. Whether it is a perverted clown, an evil brother, an insanely buffed steroid- addicted wild man, a calm, but truly evil mastermind or a bunch of powerful chimeras, all are interesting and wild in their own way.

7/10 (for the lack of screentime for certain characters)

Enjoyment: it kinda depends. Some episodes have you on the edge of your seat and some may bore you with more dialogue. However, sometimes I did not enjoy the show simply because it tried too hard to over complicate things and over using narration. Other episodes could be amazing, however.
Some episodes were foreshadowing and building up to later events, and they range in quality too.
Edit 16/07/15
I am not saying that hunter x hunter is a bad anime- I'm just saying it's not for me. I thought the first third of it was really good and well written but after the yorknew city arc I just felt it became boring and that it wasn't the same as before.
I know im going to get plenty of hate for bashing the chimera ant arc, but remember it's just my opinion.
But whatever, you can just be a fanboy and laugh at me for giving naruto and fairy tail higher ratings than the "masterpiece" that is hunter x hunter.
6/10

Verdict:
A good show, but it gets some praise that it doesn't deserve- it's pretty damn overrated.
It is a pretty well written (for the most part) show with good themes and morals, with good fights and characters. Yes, it can get dreary and over-complicated at times but you can get over it from the entertaining characters and fights.
A major downside was.....the series didn't connect with me. The story and characters, and the world (which is very extravagant and unique) wasn't very relatable and the entire series is nothing but fighting.
Hell, the characters aren't even relatable if I'm being honest. We don't get to see them being real people if you ask me, we only see them fighting.
If gon and killua and the rest were more fleshed out, the series would definitely be better. They are usually in situations where they have to fight people, it wouldve been nice to see them interacting in normal situations.
Another problem for me was the lack of comic relief in the later arcs, and also in the chimera ant arc the show tried WAAAY too hard to be dark and edgy, it didnt feel natural.
Basically what i'm saying is everything I didn't like about the series was in the chimera ant arc.
If you want a series focused on battles, this may be the one for you.
However, the biggest flaw was the ending.
I know it wasn't the studio's fault but my god it is anti-climactic.
What happened to the zoldycks? Leorio? Kurapika? Gon? Gon's adopted mum? The phantom troupe?
We shall never know.
Hunter x hunter is not a masterpiece, or a special shounen which everyone claims it is, but there are a few things that make it special and differenciate it from other battle anime. Now you may think what i said about the negatives of the show are all bs, but remember, it's my honest opinion.
If I only rated the first 58 episodes of the series I'd gladly give it 8 or 9 out of 10. However, since i need to take all of the arcs into account, my final score is 6/10.


Overall: 6/10 (fair)

Arc ratings

Hunter exam 9/10
Zoldyck family 6.5/10
Heavens arena 7/10
Yorknew city 10/10
Greed island 5/10
Chimera ant 3/10
Chairman election 8/10

Please send feedback if you agree or disagree with my opinion on the show!

Heed my warning and heed it well: If you so choose to watch the gracious series that is Hunter x Hunter (2011), watch it well past the first few episodes. Though the first few episodes make the entire series as a whole seem bland, if you think this way, you're wrong and you should feel bad. Really really bad. Think of it this way: the series is a marathon runner. A good runner prepares himself and warms up for the long arduous journey ahead (ie. HxH). The bad runner carelessly takes off from the start with no preparation and eventually dying down halfway through because ... of poor preparation (ie. SAO, although the first half was somewhat enjoyable, the second half obviously sucked). HxH takes a while to be set in motion, but its part of winning the marathon. Preparation is essential. Listen, give yourself the first 25 episodes, and you'll see that it actually IS good and well worth your time -- and it gets much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much better. Much better. In fact, I created an account with the sole purpose to explain why Hunter x Hunter is a must-watch.

Now, I shall ACTUALLY explain....

Story (10/10): Gon Freecss is a 12 year old boy, and an aspiring hunter with a taste for adventure. Sound familiar, eh? His father, Ging, left the newborn Gon, without leaving many clues to where the father had ventured to. Sound even more familiar, eh? Well don't assume that this is like any other cliched storyline, because it's far from it. Throughout his journey, he gains the acquaintance of Leorio (an aspiring doctor), Kurapika (a special-eyed boy enveloped in a deep vengeance for the killers of his tribe), and soon enough Gon's closest friend, Killua (a member of the highest skilled assassin-family, showing the most potential). Throughout the group's journey, each of the character's story play an essential role in driving the plot forward, and oh how the plot thickens.

The story is constantly evolving and constantly moving, sparing no slack in pace. If you hate filler, you will love this show especially. It will constantly keep you hooked. If you've just started the series, keep watching I tell you, keep watching. It keeps getting better.

Art (10/10): Now I'm no art aficionado, but I can tell when too bright is too bright and too dark is too dark. All I can is that it's well balance and is pleasing to the eye. Now it's not seizure-inducing like NGNL, but it get's the job done in an enjoyable manner. The palette, uh, looks nice, and uh, stuff. Yeah. There's no "you're trying too hard" to be expected in the artistic representation of Hunter x Hunter. Edit: and once you get to the end of the Chimera Ant arc, I give you my solemn word: you will not be disappointed with the conglomeration of art and sound and the overall feeling. No spoilers.

*Sound (10/10): Now this is my FAVORITE part. Part of what makes a series whole is the great sounds that go on behind it. I absolutely adore the music that went on behind the story. It did what I find other series have a hard time perfecting. When intrigue is being produced, music that correctly suits the situation will be presented, and in turn your intrigue will be piqued. When you're on the edge of your seat biting your nails, music adds to that experience. I believe it sets a tone for the story, and does it in an extremely efficient way. However, the only fault is that the music does not fit perfectly sometimes, but it isn't enough to irritate someone. It still gets the job done, and helps steep one's mind into the story further. And possible the BEST part of the sound portion of HxH is the inclusion of Gustav Holst's "Jupiter" from "The Planets." It's a beautiful song and it's inclusion in the series legit made me shed a tear m8.

Characters (10/10): No stone is left unturned in the realm of character development. Every character has a specific motive driving them and the drive to accomplish it. There's an explanation for every character's purpose -- and then it develops farther and farther. Think of Gon, the main character, as the main line. As Gon progresses, new characters come into contact with him, creating an infrastructure of development, moving forward at the same pace as Gon. The development only expands around Gon at the same time as Gon ventures about.

Enjoyment (10/10): Need I explain my enjoyment further? The rating clearly declares my sentiment towards the series. The only thing that I DON'T enjoy is that the series is ending at only 148 episodes. That's right, only. By the time you go through the 145 episodes I've gone through, you'll feel how I feel to realize that there's only 148. 148 does not do this series justice. All I, as well as I'm sure anyone else who has ventured through the series thus far feels is that there should be more. and more. and more. and more. There's much more to be explored! Given, there are only 350 chapters (at the moment) of the manga, and the anime finishes quite close. My only hope, and I'm sure I speak for many others, is that the series picks up maybe even a year or 2 later, when there is more of the manga for the anime to run off of -- and not take 10 years to reboot and recontinue. All I can say is we want more, and more is an understatement.

TL;DR - Watch Hunter x Hunter (2011) past the first season, instantaneously become addicted, and see why this underrated series should be not underrated nor overrated, but rated with high regard. You will not be disappointed. Just watch it. 10/10.

PS. People who give this show less than a 9 eat children.

I often see people complain about a lack of originality when talking about anime titles without giving it proper thought. The very idea of "being original" is within itself a fallacy, especially when referring to any form of storytelling. Everything in one way or another draws inspiration from something else and seeking out "original" content shouldn't be an end goal for viewers. What one should look for is how the content itself is presented. A typical story setup is only hindered by the writer and execution of said story. Proper execution and presentation can often be what makes or breaks a show. And even a ... show with a formulaic setup can be refreshing if handled properly.
Nowhere is this more evident than with Hunter X Hunter (2011). On paper it's a standard fare shounen with all the commonalities and tropes that you'd expect from the demographic. But when presented what we get is arguably some of the best materiel you can ever expect from a battle shounen. No it isn't a "masterpiece" like many would constantly proclaim it to be but it certainly reaches ambitious heights very rarely seen with a genre that is usually juvenile at best.

Story: 7/10

I'll try to refrain from reciting the synopsis:

The story, like I've already stated before, is nothing special. It can easily be summed up as character driven arcs with each core cast having their own objectives they wish to accomplish. What bring these individuals all together is the highly acclaimed job title of "Hunter". The title of Hunter, to save from a long winded explanation, are basically glorified Indiana Jones's positions. Receiving the title and getting the license to be one is like a VIP pass to do whatever the hell you want, may that be bounty "hunting", treasure "hunting", food "hunting", I think you get the gist of it. But the title itself is nothing but a means to an end and obtaining it is only the 1st step for our characters.
Despite Gon being our main protagonist, the story never neglects the core cast that befriends him. Through a given arc we as the audience get a shift in character focus depending on who the storyline corresponds to. Although Gon's journey still remains the overarching one, the others are properly fleshed out to stand on their own without including the MC. For the most part anyway, unfortunately characters like Leorio never got his chance in the spotlight. With each arc and character focus brings it's own themes and conflict. May that be revenge and redemption as found with Kurapika's arc or self acceptance and discovery with Killua's. Each arc explores a given theme, which made the viewing experience to be more enriched. A balance was struck in it's presentation, making it heartwarming when called for it and awe inspiring when it needed to be.
The world building and setting was another area that HxH excelled at. Everything felt well structured and was properly established. This is especially true for the show's fighting system known as "nen". It was extensively explained not only for the sake of the viewer but also to leave no room for asspulls that's normally common with shounens (looking at you Naruto asspull no jutsu). This intricate in-world power mechanics is only 2nd to that of FMA's mechanics behind alchemy. The various ways in which "nen" can be utilized led to some very interesting fights that was entertaining while being well thought out.
The pacing for the series can be best described as a roller coaster ride. The beginning of the ride is simply a slow climb up to get the participant's blood pumping for the intense drop after they reach the summit. HxH knew how to properly set the stage before the main events happen, something many shounens tend to rush. Since we spend time establishing everything from the setting to the characters involved for the given arc, these well written buildup episodes are what help give certain events substance and weigh behind it. It wasn't just tension-less conflicts between characters, it became something that you got invested in.
Of course nothing is perfect and HxH had it's fair share of missteps. One noticeable one can be seen on an overview. While Gon's story tied most of the arcs together, looking at the content of each arc separately shows a lack of unification among them. They simply weren't thematically related or constructed. We go from tournament arc to revenge arc to "stuck in a video game" arc to killer creatures arc. There wasn't any core themes that brought them all together. The transition between them was fine but that never changed the fact that they never quite fit together.
Another issue that arises was with it's themes. It felt like they could of done a lot more with the material presented. Prime example being the Chimera arc. they skimmed over it but never explored it. They had the option to use the Chimera Ants in a allegorical way to display themes such as subservience, the human condition and Social Darwinism. Something similar to what they did in Shinsekai Yori and books like Animal Farm. Animals/creatures have always been the perfect proxy for those kind of themes but they never went that route and simply reduced it to cleverly written shounen fights. It was ideas that sounded good but went nowhere or was never brought up at all. No one's expecting a shounen with FMA's level of complexity but it would of certainly been a nice addition.
Also something else that hindered HxH was it's conclusions. Nothing to do with what's presented itself but the limited material the studio had to work with due to the mangaka Togashi's infamous hiatuses. This results in an ending while satisfying, left many plot points and questions unanswered. The story still wraps up nicely but could of been more conclusive.

Art/Animation: 7/10

Animated by Madhouse there should be little question of the show's integrity in terms of animation. Now it isn't anything to write home about or would leave you giving a standing ovation but what HxH have that most long running titles don't is consistency. From beginning to end it never had noticeable hiccups that distracted from the content displayed. It was brightly lit when needed and ominous during times that called for it. A show that knew how to manipulate its color palette to fit the tone of any given scene. And trying my best not to give away spoilers here but episodes like 36 and 116 were prime examples of this.

Characters: 8/10

Possibly the biggest highlight of the series comes with the characters themselves. If looked at individually very few warrant a character study but as a whole the interactions among them is what stands out. Everyone that's important to the narrative are all given a solid motive to which they strive for. They aren't simply stuck in supporting role, they take an active part in moving the story along. While many of them were fairly common placed archetypes some in particular were actually fleshed out and received actual development. Meruem for example being a character that experienced a catharsis which brought on change in his ideology and perspective in regards to the value of others. This may seem insignificant in other shows but in a genre that reduces villains to being bombastic 1 dimensional megalomaniacs seeing an antagonist with dimensions to his character was very refreshing. Killua being another rare exception for being a character that suffered from an internal strife and inferiority complex. This provided layered characterization to what would normally just be your standard badass. While Gon and a few others remained your dime a dozen characters their organic chemistry is what makes them stand out. (Oh and Hisoka is the best sadistic assassin ever, no this is not debatable, it's a fact lol)

This is a case where the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts. They were an endearing bunch that showed believable interaction among each other.


Enjoyment: 7/10

HxH had its slow pacing during buildups and other issues thematically but it's certainly a show I thoroughly enjoyed. It's been a long time since I was ever immersed into a long running shounen and I honestly thought I had outgrew that demographic. But what HxH did that many failed to do was capture that sense of adventure and admiration I had when I was younger. It felt nostalgic, a feeling of familiarity that I only had as a child when watching Saturday morning cartoons. And to me that was well worth the investment.

Overall: 7/10

HxH is simply a rare breath of fresh air in a genre that has grown stale. It provided well thought out fights, contains a memorable cast and was thoroughly entertaining with lots of jaw dropping highlights. Of course it had it's issues but overall the title had a lot more going for it. As someone that has grown tired of shounens I was quite impressed with what HxH had to offer. It was engaging, it was potent and most of all it left me with a sense of satisfaction upon completion.

After years of everyone from personal friends to random internet commentators imploring me to watch Madhouse’s 2011 adaptation of Hunter x Hunter, I finally got around to it. I was told that this was the best long-form battle shounen out there, avoiding all the sins of mediocrity other Shonen Jump titles like Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach commit. I was told Hunter x Hunter did not constantly try to implausibly escalate the stakes of each battle, didn’t rely on boring cliché motivations of characters just wanting to get stronger for no reason, did not draw out its battle sequences for outrageous lengths of time, did ... not include random unnecessary filler. When I looked more into it I saw that its animation was far superior to anything I’d seen of a similar length and that it was in the all-time top 5 on MAL. I came into it with somewhat high expectations. I was not expecting a masterpiece, but at least a competently written and directed series that would outpace the mediocrity I’ve come to expect of this genre.

It turns out, I must not be in on some elaborate inside joke or meme. After sitting through 148 episodes of this I do not see how anybody over the age of twelve could impartially think this series is anything special. The bottom line is this is one of the most completely incoherent, unevenly paced, poorly thought out, and generic series I’ve ever seen.

I suppose I’ll start with my positive notes about the series. First, the animation is noticeably better than just about any series of this length. It got a little slipshod for moments around episodes 100-120 with ill-fitting CGI thrown in now and then, but started and ended strong and was never unnervingly bad. My biggest complaint about the artstyle, which has way more to do with the source material than Madhouse’s animation quality, is that the character designs are not coherent with each other. With a few exceptions (eg., Hisoka, Biscuit, and Palm) they look fine, but it looks like they were all ripped out of completely different series. However, I suppose that’s a sign of things to come as the plot is also an incoherent mess that feels like several different series randomly crammed together. Another positive note is that the soundtrack is actually rather exceptional, almost ill-fittingly so considering how weak the series itself is. However, various tracks were over-used and ran somewhat hollow towards the end. Overall, the soundtrack might have been the best point of the series. The voice acting is mostly adequate, with Mariya Ise’s performance of Killua really standing out. I would recommend avoiding the English dub for the most part (I watched about half of the series dubbed) as some side characters have really shoddy and obnoxious actors.

There are also redeeming aspects of character development and plot progression. For the most part, all that stuff I was told about it avoiding the sins most other shounen commit was true for the first sixty or so episodes. The first few “fight” scenes actually felt like refreshing deconstructions of what is so annoying about most shounen fight sequences. For an example, a character would start up some annoying cliched banter about how powerful he was and how he couldn’t be beaten like most scenes from Naruto only to be shut up by a punch in the face. It felt refreshingly well-paced in the first three or so arcs, the main cast of characters were rather endearing, and there was little in the way of boring filler.

However, even in the early episodes, it never felt like anything special. I was enjoying it well enough and could see why some people really liked it, but it was somewhat generic and far from a masterpiece. The first arc was a fairly typical exam-style arc, very similar, for example, to the chunin exams in Naruto. It revolves around our main character Gon trying to get a Hunter license through an extremely difficult exam involving a wide variety of off-the-wall, unrelated tasks. The main point of this arc was to acquaint viewers with the main cast of characters and introduce the notion of what a “hunter” is.

There’s Gon, a rather endearingly naïve and ambitious 12-year-old trying to earn a Hunter’s license so he can meet his father who abandoned him as a child; a clichéd lead for a shounen, but adequate. Kurapika, a somewhat ill-tempered but driven character bent on getting revenge for the murder of his people. Leorio, a stock comedic relief character with a somewhat compelling backstory hinted at early on but never explored. Easily the best character of the series is Killua, a 12-year-old former assassin who becomes best friends with Gon early on who is trying to escape his family’s will to turn him into an assassin. Killua and Gon’s friendship (that, at times, arguably verges into canon romance, at least from Killua’s perspective) is really the highlight of the series. Killua’s dark and brooding demeanor, as well as his high skill-level, acts as a perfect counterbalance to the charming but comedically stupid naivety and innocence of Gon. The way Killua is constantly trying to prove to himself that he’s good enough for Gon was the only consistently good character dynamic that kept me watching through this series’ most painful moments. The last notable and memorable character from this early sequence is Hisoka, a wildly underdeveloped possibly pedophilic clown who seems only motivated to someday fight Gon because he wants a challenge (we’re already getting into boring shonen clichés) and acts as the series' only consistent antagonist, even when he helps the main protagonist. But at least he’s somewhat entertaining with how off-the-wall he is.

Towards the end of this arc, though, you realize that it accomplishes almost nothing in the way of interesting world-building. You realize about fifteen episodes in, with some dismay, that “Hunter” is just a term for a generic action-hero mercenary. It mostly turns out this exam is little more than a disconnected variety game show. But, hey, at least the characters are somewhat compelling, if a little bland, and the games are somewhat interesting. At this point, I was still optimistic and thought if they flesh out these main characters other than Killua a bit more this could get good.

As you get into the second arc, the series begins to go a little stale and it becomes really clear just how lazy and bland the supposed worldbuilding for this fictional setting is. After a few episodes of rallying Killua back from his family, which served for some interesting character building, the main four characters split up. Killua and Gon participate in another shonen cliché of a battle tournament to get money, as well as pawning some antiques on the side, to obtain a video game that somehow has some hint as to how to find Gon’s dad. The main point of this section is to engage in some worldbuilding around the use of aura and nen—the main fighting mechanic of this series. It renders the first arc mostly useless since it turns out obtaining the Hunters license didn’t mean anything, meaning the notion there is not any unnecessary filler here was a lie. The fighting mechanics are overexplained at times and is a rather typical plot device for a shonen, but it gets the job done. This is one of the more boring and forgettable sections of the series, and that is saying something considering the tedium to come.

More interestingly, Kurapika begins to try to enact his revenge plot against a gang called the Phantom Spiders and we get some interesting development of his character. Eventually, the two subplots of Gon and Killua training and Kurapika getting revenge dovetail as they try to stop the antagonists from robbing. The video game angle is forgotten for about twenty episodes, just one of many times a key plot point will be randomly dropped. Oh, and now Leorio is mostly forgotten, a sign of stupidity to come as he and Kurapika—two of the only compelling main characters—are about to be completely forgotten for nearly 80 episodes.

When Gon and Killua finally obtain their video game, the “Greed Island” arc starts. Here, it becomes clear that this is far from what I was promised. Greed Island is easily the worst arc I’ve ever seen in any shounen anime. The basic premise of this is basically the bastard child of Yu-Gi-Oh and Sword Art Online but somehow manages to be worse than both. Almost everything that happened in the first few arcs is completely forgotten, Gon again gets completely distracted from the goal of finding his father and gets sidetracked with the game and another random unnecessary training sequence. Killua acts completely out of character throughout this arc and is almost as naïve as Gon suddenly. Almost every other character from earlier in the series is entirely absent, and an entirely new cast of characters is introduced as well as an overexplained, convoluted new plot device of a stupid card game. The phantom troop from Kurapika’s arc shows up for a minute for no good reason and is then promptly forgotten and Hisoka plays a big role but acts way out of his previously established character.

The early part of this arc is a bunch of boring exposition spoon-fed to the viewer through badly written explanatory dialogue that needed to be done because the arc had nothing to do with anything before it. This really points to the problem of having such a completely incoherent, unrelated set of arcs: the viewers’ time is wasted with a bunch more exposition when nobody really wants tedious explanation 60+ episodes into the series. It is really reminiscent of how dreary the filler arc at the end of the original Naruto was. But at least those filler serials made some sense, most of the time, this arc was as convoluted and nonsensical as it was dull. The worst thing is during one of the most outrageously stupid moments in the history of shonen, a battle revolving around (of all things) dodgeball, all the worst clichés of mediocre shonen I was told Hunter x Hunter avoided were on full, proud display. The basic rules of dodgeball are boringly overexplained through narration eight times, the fight scene drags on for far too long, an emotionally-driven power-up by Gon is what ultimately won it, and the antagonist for the fight was built up using boring tropes (such as defeating other characters previous built-up as strong instantly to build up a new character's perceived powerfulness). The main antagonists for the arc were completely boring, unpredictable, and underdeveloped. I barely made it through this arc and almost dropped the series altogether, but was told the next arc was better.

Like the theme song I was now growing weary of told me, “there definitely is a good reason to persevere,” so persevere I did. Turns out, just like my friends did when they told me this was the best shonen ever, that was mostly a lie. The Chimera Ant arc—which takes up about 40% of the series—was better from the start, but wound up being so horribly executed that it was really frustrating to watch. Killua’s character got some important development with his relationship to Gon. A new rival for Gon’s attention acted as a good foil to Killua. A little bit of somewhat interesting world building is accomplished, but I was now really noticing how horridly lazy the worldbuilding was. Apparently, the world map is just a flipped version of a real-world mercatus projection. But, hey, it’s something.

Again, this arc has almost nothing to do with anything that came before it, an entirely new cast of characters are introduced, and we’re exposed to even more exposition. But at least the exposition is somewhat enjoyable this time around. The premise of this arc is that a bunch of humanoid ants are killing everyone in one country to try to give birth to a new king, and Gon and Killua join some old friends of Gon’s father to stop it. The antagonists this time around are by far the most interesting and dynamic of the whole series and provide interesting external commentary on human societies. The premise is interesting, it was paced slower but felt well-executed, it was thematically interesting. Around episode 95 I was thinking this series might redeem itself.

Then, the main battle sequence starts and the so-far passable Chimera Ant arc completely jumps the shark. A whole bunch of characters we only got vague backstories on twenty to thirty episodes earlier are suddenly super important so it's hard to keep track of what’s going on. The battle sequence is now so drawn-out it makes Dragon Ball battles seem snappy. Seriously, a good twenty episodes into the big important climatic attack on the antagonist, the narrator announces only three minutes have passed.

Speaking of the narrator, that’s the worst part about this arc. Almost every damn moment of episodes 100-120 is taken up by horribly written, contrived narration. Every move in the battle, every psychological state of every character is just spoon-fed by the narrator. It’s not like the directors were incapable of subtlety, most of the narration was completely unnecessary since Madhouse actually did a decent job at subtley portraying battle techniques and emotional dispositions (although the animation through this arc was the worst of the series). The moment you almost get into the atmosphere of a scene during the battle, the narrator’s there to break the fourth wall and ruin everything, destroying any emotional depth that could be salvaged. The whole point of a visual medium like a television series is to show us characters’ dispositions, motivations, and beliefs, or even the basic events of the plot, not just tell it to us. Otherwise, we might as well forego every single film adaptation of novels and stick to audiobooks. For the most part, this sub-arc felt more like an audiobook than an anime.

Worse yet, the events at the climax of the battle are as implausible as they are ridiculous. Gon’s happy and naïve character fantastically changes way too quickly into a bloodthirsty sadist during another revenge arc (because Kurapika’s been forgotten for about 80 episodes) as he seeks vengeance for another minor side character we’ve barely gotten to know. The battle hilariously escalates into ridiculousness. Character designs become downright stupid (at one point the antagonists turn into chibis and Gon looks like handsome Squidward with impossibly long hair), fights between minor side-characters we do not really care that much about are drawn out into three episode sequences, and things escalate beyond credulity.

When all the dust is settled, eight or so episodes are spent on the resolution to this arc. There are flashes of brilliance here and there, and you’re thankful the narrator has finally shut the hell up. The most notable moment is the finale for the main antagonist of this arc, Mereum, which was probably the best-directed scene of the series. It was so high-quality it felt out of place since the animation quality dipped during the battle. Other than that, there were a bunch of scenes that were supposed to be emotionally charged, but so many characters were introduced 30 or so episodes ago with little development in between, the viewer is mostly spent struggling to remember who was who and wondering why she should care.

It’s a shame, this arc had a lot of potentials, but it was wasted on fantastically dumb battle sequences and contrived narration to shoehorn in as many new characters as possible rather than actually focus in on the few compelling characters and events in the arc. The most notable half-delivered promise of this arc was the rather rushed development of the main antagonist Mereum which was incredibly compelling before the battle. It’s amazing how the most drawn-out section of this anime managed to rush even the most important parts, like Gon’s dynamic change in his quest for revenge or Mereum’s battle between being an ant and a human. But hey, at least they didn’t just randomly forget key characters and plot elements from this arc like they did everywhere else.

The final mini-arc is when this series just got extremely tedious, boring, and entirely unenjoyable—even more tedious than the drawn-out battle sequence. Gon is injured from the big fight, Killua needs to go retrieve his sister who has some special power to heal him—who at this point we’ve never met and have no clue why Killua cares so much for her if he’s never mentioned her, but I guess expecting basic narrative coherence was out of the question at this point. This would be fine, except it keeps getting sidetracked with this tedious political drama about the Hunter organization trying to run an election which is mostly extremely dull bureaucratic dialogue with a bunch of crudely designed characters we’ve never met before who are introduced in a rushed fashion. Remember that infamous scene from the Phantom Menace where they sit in the Galactic Senate talking for too long? Imagine that for about six episodes worth of content. It’s miserable to watch.

It ends on a higher note. The stupid election bureaucracy fizzles out and it turns out to have mattered even less than we thought it did. Gon gets reunited with his father, which is nice enough. There’s a lack of satisfying resolve in Gon and Killua’s friendship, but after the 90 episodes of garbage, the last 3 or so were stronger. I suppose Madhouse deserves some credit for wrapping up an unfinished manga with a plausibly fulfilling ending.

Honestly, I do not really know why anyone takes this series all that seriously. This only deserves a small fraction of the hype and critical acclaim it gets. Maybe people are so desperate for a competently animated long-form shounen that is less than 500 episodes they’re willing to overlook the deep flaws in this show? It feels like a completely incoherent Dungeons and Dragons campaign run by a bunch of ADHD 11-year-olds on crack. Maybe you like the off-the-wall style of storytelling and the way it constantly and implausibly ups the ante on your willful suspension of disbelief. But even if so, it is downright frustrating when key characters and plot points are completely forgotten, when you have to sit through exposition after exposition, or when battles get as drawn out and cliché as they do in this series. The only reason it’s not getting a lower score is because Killua is a uniquely memorable and well-developed character, the first 50 or so episodes were at least enjoyable, and it does deserve some credit for being much more visually polished than most of its peers.

Consider how Hunter x Hunter compares with other long-form battle shounen that are notable for their mediocrity even during its most successful arcs . Compare it to, for example, Naruto or Shingeki no Kyojin. What keeps me hooked on a series like Naruto or SnK despite how deeply flawed they are is that they have coherent, well-defined and interesting worlds into which I can get somewhat immersed. If I’m investing more than 100 episodes in to a series, I want to get lost in the world. I can tolerate implausibly high-stakes battle sequences where the main character is just screaming like in SnK if the setting is interesting and the premise is compelling. I can sit through bland exposition of a new larger cast of characters 200 episodes into Naruto Shippuden if I get a sense of how they fit into the larger narrative in world.

Sure, when Hunter x Hunter is at its best in the first third of the series it avoids some of the most glaring flaws of those shows with ridiculously drawn-out battle sequences, spoon-fed explanations, and constant escalation issues. However, it has no sense of immersion or coherent world-building at all since the setting and premise is so generic and never fully fleshed out. When there’s an attempt to give a sense of setting, the elements are randomly pulled out of someone’s ass on the spot with contrived narration and it usually contradicts whatever came before it. Even the city names are generic, lazy knock-offs like Yorknewcity or Pajing. Gon’s main attack is based off rock, paper, scissors, for Christ's sake. The result is when the few interesting main characters are absent and I’m forced to sit through more exposition of new characters and battle techniques or when it begins to fall into those bad shonen battle clichés during the Chimera Ant and Greed Island arcs, I just lose all sense of interest and watching the series becomes a dull exercise in perseverance. Ultimately, that lazy world-building and lack of coherence makes Hunter x Hunter even worse than most of the mediocre shounen to which it is favorably compared. Paired with the way key points are just dropped and forgotten for good and the cast of characters becomes so large and rushed, the whole series becomes downright frustrating.

At its best, Hunter x Hunter is a rather unremarkable battle shounen with a handful of memorable characters. At its worst, it’s a completely incoherent, tedious, barely watchable mess. At any given moment, it could be anything between those two extremes. Even though there are a lot of enjoyable moments and some good characters to salvage from the series, I have a hard time recommending this to all but the most hardcore of shounen fans.

Story: 1/10
Art: 6/10
Sound: 7/10
Character: 3/10
Enjoyment: 3/10
Overall 4/10

Story: 9.6/10
Art/Animation: 9.2/10
Sound/Music: 9/10
Character: 9.6/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 9.7/10

Note: This is to any newcomers to the series. No spoilers in this review.

It has been a long time that I watched an anime that evaluates and explores many aspects of the genre, especially coming from a Shonen demographic anime. While I started watching this series, I was skeptical from the anime by watching the first five episodes, considering that it brings a light-hearted, child-like feel. I stopped watching it for a while because it didn't bring any interesting I found captivating. As time passed by, I doubted myself for not even continuing this series. Many older fans ... of anime get thrown off by the demographic how anime such as Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Fairy Tail,etc demonstrate a protagonist in search for glory to become someone important and known to others. Antagonists are shown later in the series soon later confronts the hero in a long-dragging, continuous fight. Eventually, the hero will overcome their goal during a long voyage of his traveling with their friends in either constantly wining in every single battle with their closest rivals, having a bigger ambition to accomplish to become "someone" important, or making a difference in their power level in a outrageous moment while being in a ridiculous, near death, battle..These characteristics of what these series provided hindered me from watching a long, ongoing anime from predictable wins and losses from the Shonen heroes. However, one anime takes all these Shonen tropes and throw it out of the window. That anime is Hunter X Hunter.

Story: The premise of the story takes us to a journey in Whale Island with our hero, Gon Freecss, a young 12 year boy who is destined to become a talented hunter just like his father, Ging, who is a legendary hunter known to many. Hunters are highly skilled professional fighters who have the exceptional ability to lure others into a trap at will, find uncommon creatures at sea or land, or search for undiscovered treasures. On his quest, he finds other companions such as Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio who also strived to have the same goal to become the best hunter while they participate in the Hunter Exam. This appears to be like a typical, light-hearted Shonen premise in most cases. The pacing in the beginning of the series can commences very slowly for most people. This creates a hindrance with older audience who are used to Seinen type anime such as Monster, Berserk, Gantz, etc. However, gradually, the development of the story arcs within each episodes creates a further relationship between each character in a more complicated situations. While it appears to be a cheerful, humorous at first, it ultimately alludes how each story links up to create a further character development for a protagonist Shonen hero like Gon to overcome mentally and physically especially in the 6th arc of the series, the Chimera Ants Arc. Over the course of the episodes, the arc steadily deconstructs the elements of the Shonen demographic into a true brutal, psychological nature of what it really means to be a hunter or even a human. As the story progresses within each episode, you will appreciate what the previous arcs has to offer in order to fully understand how the characters feel, hell even the villains' motivations and thoughts as well.

Art/Animation: Madhouse studio did an excellent job adapting Yoshihiro Togashi's (creator of Yu Yu Hakusho) long hiatus manga since 1998 into a more faithful anime adaptation. They keep up with the action orientated sequences fluid into constant beating from facial expression, anticipation, and even suspense. However, some older fans from the 1999 version may disprove of how "colorful" art style that the show presented from facial expression and animation wise. But, I'm not going to go into details with the flame war between two series from 1999 and 2011. They also meticulously improved the quality that the original manga drawing lack into a more vivid, watchable experience. For example, the character designs in the manga are considered poorly drawn due to Togashi's long hiatus since his sickness is very challenging overcome for years. This Conclusively, Madhouse excelled Hunter X Hunter manga into a more faithful adaptation it deserves story wise.

Sound/Music: At first, the opening of the anime really suited to the atmosphere and how really addicted the song can really be. Even though the opening theme, "Departure" by Ono Masatoshi doesn't change arc after arc, the song becomes a tradition that really suits the mood of the show. It appeal repels me from watching every second of the episode that I couldn't stop watching episode after episode without knowing what is going to happen next. It brings such strong anticipation and curiosity to viewers what is the next moment is about to happen. The music sets the setting of traveling and exploring the world of Hunter X Hunter. It gives off how much is there in the world that is undiscovered. In the future, people will looked back and feel nostalgic how the atmosphere suits very well in the HxH universe.

Character: This is where the anime leaves positive note on how well-written the character development really is. While Togashi was writing the manga his hiatus on the manga really makes the story more unique than most Shonen series I witnessed since they emphasis long term fights, rather than a thought-out character development. Gon and Killua are like yin and yang. They build a long, ongoing friendship through the series, learning and knowing their weakness they have to overcome. Not only the main characters have to conquer their own conflicts in each arc, even some minor/supporting characters get screen time in some episode so they wouldn't appear to have a very generic, one dimensional personality. Within each episode, the characters flesh out their morality from what is right or wrong. While in battle, the anime dives into their consciousness on how they can resolve the situation. Tactics and skills play a very important role in the Hunter X Hunter universe. You have to ask yourself, is killing your sworn enemy really going to bring satisfaction for everyone? Can your desire really lead to contentment for your own preservation? These questions lead you to think that the characters are not always what they seemed to be when you start to watch how they first interact each other.

Enjoyment: Personally, I found this anime to be worth of my time, if not the best. Masterfully well-developed writing. Though-out tactics to weaken an opponent rather than random overpowered abilities for no particular reason. The only downside is the pacing might start off slow in the beginning, but Hunter X Hunter truly delivers what a classic Shonen anime can be without dragging its viewers into unnecessary cliché. At first the show starts to grow as an innocent, cheerful child then it matures into a merciless, cold-hearted butcher regarding to the characters' dark past and essential role that will affect them emotionally and ethically later on in the series. Each have their own motives they have to undergo mentally. I enjoy every minute of humor yet complicated growth of each character the series has build to recent episode.

Overall: The anime has surprised me in a so many ways that I just want more from its universe. As of today, the manga is on hiatus due to Togashi's back pains. Who knows when the manga is going to come back? Maybe in two years or even a decade from now. What we know now is that Hunter X Hunter is exceptional to the Shonen tropes that most common anime suffer from. After years of watching anime, I never witnessed of how unforeseen this anime can be from the same demographic as the big 3. For any one that is new to the anime, go watch it now. Be patient and you will gradually be rewarded for one of the best writing you will ever experience in a Shonen anime.

Whenever Shonen Jump releases anime based on a popular manga they are usually for the fighting and story enthusiasts. Hunter X Hunter is a show that balances the two perfectly in the form of a Yin-Yang. Although this story is fiction, it’s still based on some part of the truth of the real world we reside in. The story is brutal, deep, emotional, breathtaking and much more! A story that is different, but yet has the same basic elements you would expect from a Shonen anime. I won’t go into details of the story or the arc because I can’t mention that without spoiling ... but I’m going to express what I can in whatever words while keep it short and sweet.

Hunter X Hunter mainly focuses on a Young boy named Gon Freecss who like his father wants to become a Hunter. He wants to experience what the world of Hunters is like and why his father left him to attain the wonders of that world. You can say that Gon wants to look for his father and ask him this question and that sets a goal for the narrative for the anime. Now, with this type of narrative, the Hunter X Hunter universe sets itself to become everlasting much like One-Piece and Toriko, where various arcs can come about without going astray from the initial plot and connect each other with everything else within the medium. You can think of it as a programming flowchart that is always connected to the main command. What really sets the story apart from others is the way it’s told. Its starts of slow, puzzling and full of questions but slowly starts to unravel itself and it gets really interesting as the arcs progress forward. Personally, no arc for me was boring. Every single one of them had something different and unique to offer from the introduction to new characters to foes and bros and new unexplored land which keep everything fresh and interesting. This is something that I feel makes Togashi-sensei such a spectacular author. Another great thing about the series is that Gon isn't the only main character of the series. There are a few more who are later introduced in the series which is what makes Hunter X Hunter special and different which hence makes more room for different types of arcs with different variations.

As you go deeper into the story you will see how complex, intriguing and thought provoking Hunter X Hunter actually becomes. A lot of the arcs in this show changed my perspective of how I looked at the world and the kind of potential it has of becoming, but at the same time it also made me think about the type of creation we are and negative impacts it brings to the table.

In terms of animation and sound, this show probably has the most beautiful and the most precise animation I have seen for a long running series. The manga was very lucky to not have been picked by garbage studios like Toei or A-1, instead it was picked up by one of the best ones in Japan, Mad-House. Mad-House studio is known for its amazing animation and to have consistency in all of its long running 148 episodes is a feat. Animation is spectacular. Togashi isn’t a very good drawer when compared to other manga artists but the anime comes and rescues that part of the story. As for OST, it’s pretty good. There are tracks that are pretty awesome here and there and fit the mood perfectly. You will enjoy the animation and sound for this show. I follow some of the staff members who work on Hunter X Hunter at Madhouse Studios and they love this manga very much and they put a lot of effort to make it perfect.

Finally, I know I’ve praised this show a lot, but I feel there is no reason not because, as I see it, Hunter X Hunter is a masterpiece. It is slow to start off with like any other show, but once you get past the first few episodes, you will start to enjoy the show and that’s mainly what hooks a person as he/she starts to gain interest. I always mention this is the reviews and tell people that fighting isn’t everything in a Shonen manga/anime. Sometimes having a good story that keeps the audience at bay and keeps them guessing is what you need in a story and Hunter X Hunter delivers. Over the course of 3 years this show has become my favorite anime of all time and it was sad to see it come to an end. Sure the manga still continues (very slowly) but surely so I hope to see more of it in the future. With that I say good-bye to a spectacular anime which is a MUST watch for all!

Final Score: Master Piece (10/10)

Firstly , I cannot forgive the god-awful character designs in this show , these ugly characters are the reason as to why Itachi went blind . I mean how do they expect us to take this show seriously with these awful designs , It was also one of the main reasons I hated the Chimera Ant Arc because it allowed Togashi to roam free with his ugly ass seizure-induced drawing.

Another thing is the art style , I found the 1999 version to be more mature , whereas the 2011 adaptation looks cutesy and childish for my taste , another reason I can't take it seriously.

The ... only good , enjoyable and watchable arc is the Yorknew City Arc , all the other arcs are ass

Gon's abilities are also boring , predictable and lack any sort of possible development

This anime only has a couple of good characters ( Killua , Hisoka , Feitan , Machi and Leorio) the rest suck ass

Feitan and Machi are also the only good phantom troupe members , the rest are boring and lack and depth. I mean even the cut from the blade Kurapika put on Uvogin's heart had more depth than them

The Hunter Exam Arc is a boring and bootleg version of the Chuunin Exams ,and I'm not the only one who agrees with that , there is plot convenience all over the goddamn place , how can a Fat shit like Tonpa and a skinny shit like Leorio run 80+ km it makes no goddamn sense.The only good thing to look forward to in this arc is Killua and Hisoka

When Gon and gang went to save Killua , I was interested because I thought something interesting was gonna go down but no , Togashi just pulls conveniences out of his ass left and right , I was facepalming every episode , so much so that my face has my full hand-print . You mean to tell me that a 12 year old kid with a broken arm , which magically got healed thanks to the power of plot , a 17 year old and lanky malnourished boy in a suit managed to individually put 1209 kg worth of force into opening the door they were struggling to carry a 20kg cup. If you ask me , PLOTTTT!!!!. The soundtrack in this arc made by ears burn and there was also absolutely no suspense , I mean I had a higher chance of finding Gon's hairline , than I did of finding any suspense in this arc.


The Heavens Arena Arc also sucked ass because there is no balance between whether this is a training arc or tournament arc . The idea for heaven's arena was alright but it turned shit , As expected. Now , the only thing AND I MEAN THE ONLY THING GOOD ABOUT THIS ARC was Hisoka and his fight with Kastro , they truely displayed the power and potential of , they should've also gotten rid of those 3 nen users Gon and Killua were fighting.

The OST's are decent , especially Hisoka's and Kurapika's (Kusari Yarou)

The Greed Island Arc has to be the most sleep-inducing arc , I had to take meth , coffee and adderall to stay awake , It cured my brother of insomnia , he watched 1 episode and he was dozing off. If it hadn't been for the dodgeball game I probably would've dropped the arc there , it is completely pointless even Gon said it himself , the card-gathering moment was extremely unbearable to watch especially since it served no purpose at the end. The bomber is also the worst written villain and he also should've killed Gon but no Gon was saved by OH WAIT , ITS A BIRD , ITS A PLANE , NO , It was the god awful plot convenience from the unexplained cards

Now , Onto the most overrated arc ever , The Chimera Ant Arc (CAA)

The CAA has to be the most overrated arc ever to be made , the only good thing about this arc was killua and feitan , this arc was also incredibly dragged out it probably could've only been 30 episodes had they not put money first

The idea of Chimera Ants also makes no sense , since they're suppose to hold more than 2 different genes but none of them look even remotely like ants and they somehow in an isolated nation happen to have so much resources and it also makes no sense how the latter generation (Pitou , Youpi , Meruem and Pouf) were so strong compared to the previous generation (Welfin , Meleoron etc) when there was nothing that happened inbetween their births to contribute their increase in power , people use eating Pokkle as an excuse but when Pitou was born Pokkle was alive

This arc tries so hard to be dark and mature but fails in every way , Gon's transformation against Pitou was an asspull and also made no sense as he only knew Kite for 2 weeks yet he was crying like a bitch and we were all supposed to like that hell no.

Netero vs Meruem was also a bad fight , it was just Netero slapping Meruem and Meruem getting back up and talking about some Gungi bullshit yet people suck off this arc. The narrator is especially annoying I mean that guy had more lines than the actual fucking VA's

Meruem is also the worst villain , he has no personality , he is just the cliche "I want to rule the world for the sake of it" villain , he also has no special techniques and he is incredibly strong which made no sense and in the end he became good guy , yep like that has not been done before.

Now , I actually liked Nen as a power system because it was really balanced . but then Alluka shows up and the word 'balanced' is thrown out of the window , Alluka is a living deus ex machina that can grant any wish but somehow wasn't used in the CAA because Killua doesn't want to abuse her which is completely contradictory.

This show also has the worst reunion if I've ever seen it , Ging just shows up in front Gon , which is annoying because what purpose do the previous arcs serve.

A 10/10 review for Hunter X Hunter 2011 is nothing new on this website: plenty of people have already eloquently described what makes the show such an incredible experience, and for that I'm glad. The show deserves all of the praise that it receives. The reason I decided to write this review, however, was not merely to explain what makes the show so great, it's to convince you to try to watch it. If you're anything like me then the fact that Hunter X Hunter has 148 episodes can be a little daunting: that's a hell of a commitment for a single story. In conjunction ... with this, the show's kiddy art style and first few episodes don't really seem to be indicative of a higher level of storytelling. To top it off, all of those gleaming reviews are a bit of a double-edged blade: going into anything with such high expectations can ruin the experience, and many solid shows have been brought to their knees by over-enthusiastic fans who build them up to be more than they could ever hope to be.

I had all of these doubts when I went into the show. I usually stay away from anything longer than 50 episodes, I didn't believe that anything truly compelling could be spawned from Hunter X Hunter's sugar-coated beginnings and that the show was getting a lot of credit just for having zany ideas and a good sense of humor, and I had heard both strangers and people I respected tell me over and over again that this was the one: the fantasy epic that did it right, that only continued to get better over time right up until its stunning conclusion. If you're feeling any of those reluctances, if you've started the show and just can't seem to be able to get past the first few episodes, know that I was right there with you. Even as the show's first arc came to a close I still didn't consider it to be anything more than "well thought-out fun". But dear reader, I URGE you not to fall into that pitfall. I URGE you, if you have any fondness for the world of Hunter X Hunter, if there is any inkling inside you that says "I might be able to dig this", PRESS ONWARDS. The reviewers are right and the legends are true: Hunter X Hunter delivers one of the most sprawling, powerful stories of all time. It went in directions I hadn't even considered. It was one of four shows to ever force tears out of my eyes. It delivered powerful stories time and again, and it tied everything together with a conclusion about the meaning of life itself.

As for the review itself, it seems cheap to merely ride off of the backs of other reviewers, no? Let me give my own two cents at what makes this masterpiece so compelling.

Hunter X Hunter is a shonen. It's several tiers ahead of every other shonen I've watched, but it still does have a focus on battles and conflict. What sets it apart is that there's actually usually very little animation involved in the Hunter X Hunter fights: instead of showing the fast-paced high-energy showdown of two characters from the point of view of a third party, Hunter X Hunter takes the internal route. It shows the thought processes of the characters throughout the course of the battle and it makes sure to lay down a tangible battlefield so that you can understand exactly what's happening. Tactics and experience play a HUGE role in combat in Hunter X Hunter: strength doesn't prevail by itself, it's the ability to put it to creative use that makes the victor. Psychological warfare is also a common strategy, with combatants using attitude and knowledge about their opponent to get opponents that may hold huge advantages over them to make stupid mistakes. People don't just fight for the sake of it in Hunter X Hunter: they fight for discernible reasons, whether it be to protect someone or avenge someone or out of pride or stubbornness or fear, and the motivations behind every conflict often play a role in the outcomes themselves. Speaking of which, Hunter X Hunter isn't really all about the "who wins" part of fighting. It is rare that it resolves story arcs in straightforward and clean-cut ways, always choosing to honor the choices its characters would make over whatever expectations people may have. This can lead to surprisingly happy and simple resolutions, or it can lead to a morally convoluted clusterfuck that seems to fall apart more than it does resolve itself.

The characters themselves are one-of-a-kind: in part, this is due to the undeniable uniqueness of their personalities and character designs. However, it's also due to the show's respect for each and every one of the people it introduces. Hunter X Hunter is a forgiving world, where assassins can become heroes and serial killers can command respect and rise to the top. But it's also a harsh one, where people's misguidance can have disastrous consequences and where virtues can be a double-edged sword. In it, everyone has a voice, a goal or goals, a chance to make a difference. Whether it be a previously undeveloped face in the sea of Hunter Exam applicants or an octopus sniper that just happens to be stumbled upon, there are no extras or standbyers in Hunter X Hunter. The ideals of its central protagonists are valued no more than anybody else's, and stories are created and resolved not through convenience but by the show's immense living breathing cast. Each character's story is their own: whatever they may achieve during their time in the show, they have no obligation to stick around for the next phase of the story if they belong somewhere else, and they have no obligation to resolve any of their personal struggles just because the main protagonists are there. Those are something for them to figure out in their own time. What this does is it creates a world brimming with energy and passion, a world where you find yourself simultaneously invested in an unbelievable number of characters because they all feel like individuals, a world where you're constantly on the edge of your seat to see what happens next because 'convenience' has been kicked to the curb. This isn't to say that the show's main protagonists aren't important: quite the opposite, it is their brilliant character arcs that sell the show's ending and create some of the show's most powerful moments. However, the show never gets swallowed by them and it never gives them any more influence on the outcome than they deserve.

The execution of the show is constantly top-notch as well. Animated by studio Madhouse (famous for shows like Death Note and always able to adapt to the tone of any show), Hunter X Hunter looks absolutely pristine for the entirety of its 148 episode run. It uses crisp, clean lines, bright colors and an indescribable glow to its shots that elevate it in the visuals department while making sure that it has its own unique style: it isn't just "pretty"; I could recognize a screenshot from Hunter X Hunter in an instant even if it had no distinguishing characters or story elements in it. The sound is great: the show uses the same opening for the entirety of its run, and oftentimes uses slow instrumental versions of it for the OST during the episode as well. The soundtrack is for the most part a series of the same few songs redone in different ways for different moods, but when the show shifts gears later on into a far grittier and unprecedented arc the soundtrack shifts entirely to reflect the changing protagonists and the alien situations they are now finding themselves in. The voice acting is superb, with a cast that nails the fun and breezy feel of the show but is wholely capable of turning up the intensity when shit goes down. I place an immense value on the literal written dialogue of a show: not just the story or the thoughts behind the characters, but in the way that they interact and their thoughts are portrayed. In this regard more than anything, Hunter X Hunter exceeded my expectations with a script that never dragged and was comfortable and natural switching from long-winded explanations to well-delivered humor to drama and existential woe. Some of the show's most powerful scenes owe themselves to the writing, using just the right words in the right ways to convey what was trying to be said.

Did I love watching Hunter X Hunter? Absolutely. Would I watch it again? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to anyone with even the slightest inkling of a desire to try it? Absolutely. There's only one thing you need to enjoy Hunter X Hunter, and that's an open mind. If you go into its lucrative antics, nonsensical world and over-the-top characters and conflicts with an open mind, you will find one of the most compelling, tragic, powerful and ingenious adventure epics of all time, full of heart and unforgiving to anyone who fails to recognize that the greatest treasure in life is the road one takes on the way to where they are going.

If you want to see a far more in-depth examination of my thoughts on Hunter X Hunter, I have a spoiler-ridden blog post on my page where I'd be happy to discuss the show with anyone.

What makes a show great? Is it the engaging story? Is it the interesting characters? Is it the immersion the show creates? I find myself always asking these questions whenever I start a series. Hunter x Hunter was no exception. I hadn't heard much when I first started it, but I had heard comparisons to Fullmetal Alchemist and Attack on Titan, both of which are some of my favorite shounens. Still, I had my doubts. "148 episodes? How could there possibly be that much interesting plot without fillers?" I asked. I was a fool.

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.

Hunter x Hunter is the most overrated anime series I've ever watched. I've never seen a fanbase more toxic and elitist than Hunter x Hunter fans. All of these people just constantly praise this anime and talk about how well written it is, but in reality that isn't true. In reality this is just another garbage battle shounen series like the rest of them. It isn't complex, it isn't well written at all, it's nothing but complete and utter dog shit.

Hunter x Hunter is about a kid named Gon Freecs that becomes a Hunter and wants to find his dad someday. This is the worst ... story I've ever seen in a Shounen anime. I'll be explaining why I say this later on in this review

Hunter x Hunter has one thing going for it, the Yorknew Arc. Every other arc in this show was complete and utter garbage and I'll explain why. First we have the Hunter Exam arc. This was just a pathetic version of the Chunin Exams. It just feels way too slow and boring. This was the first arc in the series and it just failed to get me attached to any of the characters. There was just no reason to like any of these characters at all. Gon was the typical generic shounen protagonist. Killua was the typical edgy kid. Kurapika was the cliche revenge character. The only character that was interesting was Leorio. All of the trials in this arc were boring to watch and that's pretty much it. The mini tournament was also uninteresting/boring

Next we have the Zoldyck Family arc. Ahh what a waste of time. I actually thought something big would happen in this arc, but this unfortunately wasn't the case. They just go into the mansion and then get Killua and then leave. This arc should've been longer and actually gave more depth to Killua's family, but it didn't! In the end I didn't give a single shit about his family and any other character involved in this arc. And as usual, we get that stupid friendship/nakama bullshit in this arc. This is why I say that Hunter x Hunter is nothing different from the typical shounen, because it still has that nakama bullshit.

Heaven's Arena was just so boring it nearly made me fall asleep multiple times. Togashi actually made an interesting concept for an arc, but then completely ruins it. He ruins it by making the whole arc a damn training arc. This just doesn't make sense to me. This arc was way too focused on training instead of the actual fucking Heavens Arena. This is one of my biggest problems with Hunter x Hunter in general. This series just has way too much training and less story to it. None of the villains were interesting at all. They were just the typical cliche villains you'd see in any Shounen. The fights were complete and utter garbage. It's funny how they spend so much time training yet when Gon finally fights Hisoka it's nothing but hand to hand combat for the most part. So much training yet he doesn't even know how to use real techniques. Infact he doesn't even know how to use real techniques until like fucking 60 episodes!

Next is the Yorknew arc. a very good arc. Almost everything about this arc was actually phenomenal, but there are some problems. Firstly, the main two characters are so fucking annoying I just couldn't stand it. Uvogin was a very generic character and just not interesting to me. The rest of the phantom troupe all lacked any depth to them so I just didn't find them to be good villains. The best thing about this arc was Kurapika and his character development. Kurapika is the only character in Hunter x Hunter with good development. The rest of the main characters are complete and utter garbage with no redeeming qualities. Also the fight between Uvogin and Kurapika was pretty cool.

Greed Island is one of the most pointless and boring arcs I've seen in a Shounen. Once again this arc is filled with boring training that nobody gives a shit about. Togashi made an interesting concept for an arc just to ruin it by making it a training arc. He just doesn't know how to balance things out and this arc is the perfect example. Them collecting cards was painfully boring to watch. The card system wasn't explained in detail so that was boring. We don't know what any of these cards are or do, so I got bored with all the card collecting bullshit. The main villain has got to be the one of the worst villains I've seen in a Shounen series. No depth whatsoever. He's just the typical one dimensional villain that's evil just for the sake of being evil. See it's funny how Hunter x Hunter fans talk about how well written this anime is, but I just don't see it! Characters like Genthru clearly contradict that statmement, and there's no debating about this. The fights in this arc were really bad. Gon vs Genthru was filled with plot armor it was just laughable. He should've easily lost that fight, but he just wins because of 100% plot armor. Greed Island could've been a good arc but it was ruined by many things. Bad villains, boring training, and barely any explanation to the card system. The world of Greed Island had 0 detail, none whatsoever. This just feels like a filler arc overall. One of the worst arcs in Shounen.

The Chimera Ant arc has got to be the most overrated Shounen arc I've ever seen. This is the most boring arc I've ever watched in an anime. The first 20 episodes of it were extremely slow paced and dragged on WAY too long. There was just far too much underdeveloped characters getting screen time so it was just ridiculous. The narration was the worst part about this arc. It completely ruined this arc in many ways. Firstly, the narration happened in some of the most important parts in the arc. When they where raiding the palace I just completely lost interest because of the fucking narration. This man was narrating for almost the entire episode it was just ridiculous. The fact that there needs to be narration in order to have people understand what's happening is just stupid. Firstly, it's an insult to the viewers. It's like they think the viewers are too stupid to understand what's going on, so there needs to be narration all the time. That's the impression I'm getting from this. Secondly, there's a lot of Shounen out there that don't need narration to tell a good story.

Now when it comes to fights, this arc had some of the most overrated fights I've ever seen. First we have Gon vs Neferpitou. Gon gets a random asspull powerup and beats the shit out of her. It was really fucking stupid to see Gon so mad about what happened to Kite anyways. He barely even fucking knew him yet he's crying like a bitch when he dies. This just made no sense whatsoever, and this was just bad writing at its finest. He only knew him for two weeks and he went ape shit when he found out what happened to him. This was just pathetic writing. Next overrated fight, Meruem vs Netero. Imagine hyping up a villain for 50 episodes just for him to have no cool techniques or anything. His fight with Netero was so boring. He just gets smacked away and flies right back at him. The only good thing about this fight was the animation. Everything else was complete and utter garbage as expected.

It's funny to me how this anime tried to have strategic battles in its early stages. Later on it just becames the typical battle shounen with power levels. Gon vs Hisoka and Gon vs Genthru had some strategy, but Meruem vs Netero was a terrible fight and was just about who has the higher power level. There's no good reason why Meruem is that strong either. He has no techniques or anything. That's why that fight was complete trash.

Now lets talk about the battle system in Hunter x Hunter. The battle system is actually pretty good. Togashi puts so much detail into the battle system, but there is a problem here. The problem is that a shit ton of fights in which the battle system doesn't even fucking matter! Like why put so much detail into the power system when the fights just end up being the typical shounen fights! Meruem vs Netero is the perfect example of this. This fight was just another typical DBZ type of fight you see in anime. All I'm saying is, if you're going to spend so much time putting detail into the power system, at least make it important in every fight.

Rememeber how I said Hunter x Hunter had the worst story I've ever seen in a Shounen? I'll explain why I said that right now. Gons goal was finding his dad right? SPOILER: After the death of Netero, everyone Hunter has to attend the election. This is when Gon meets his dad....This is the most garbage thing I have ever seen. After all those arcs trying to find clues to know his dads whereabouts, this is how they meet. What was the point in Yorknew? What was the point in Greed Island? This was the most unsatisfying thing I've ever seen in an anime. After all that hard work, Gon ends up meeting Gnig in the stupidest fucking way possible.

Speaking about the Election arc, this arc was complete trash. The only interesting thing about it was Leorio and what he said about Ging. Everything else was bad. Alluka was a terrible character. She was just a living plot device and that's all there was to this character. Nothing about this arc was good and that's all there is to it.

Now lets talk about the characters. There's only one good character in Hunter x Hunter, and that would be Kurapika. He's the only character with interesting character development. Gons character development was complete trash, specifically talking about when (spoiler) kite died. THat was just awful development. Killua had some development, but I disliked him due to his constant change in personalities. One second he's the typical 12 year old, the next second he's edgy as hell. His character development is very basic aswell. Leorio could've been a good character, but unfortunately he was neglected for like 90% of the anime. It pisses me off how the only decent characters barely got any screen time at all. Meruem is incredibly overrated. He's just the typical "I want to rule the world" type of villain. His character development was very basic and nothing special at all. His development is pretty much him becoming more of a good guy due to Komugis influence. Oh wow, a villain that becomes a good guy... wow that's such great writing isn't it.... -_- I've seen character development like his in a lot of anime, so I don't get why people suck him off so hard. Overall, Hunter x Hunter has bad characters.

Hunter x Hunter has terrible art. Not only in the manga, but in the anime aswell. This anime has some of the most ugly character designs I've seen in a shounen. There's just way too many ugly looking characters it just looks so childish. There's nothing interesting about the music or animation either. The music was very unmemorable to me, and the animation isn't anything special.

Overall this anime was horrible. The only enjoyable arc in this anime was the Yorknew arc and that's it. Everything else about this anime was boring and painful to watch. I don't recommend watching this anime. There's just so much other anime to watch that are much better. If you're looking for a badass shounen with awesome fights and great characters, go watch Yu Yu Hakusho. They were both written by the same mangaka, but at least Yu Yu Hakusho is enjoyable to watch. The Dark Tournament and Chapter Black arc are both better than anything I've seen in Hunter x Hunter.

**This review will contain spoilers**

Hunter x Hunter (2011) is widely considered by many (along with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) as the peak of action shounen anime and as what every action shounen anime should aspire to be, an opinion I can’t agree with since, to my eyes, it’s not really a completely well-functioning neither a fully satisfying show to begin with. Keep in mind that, obviously, this is only a perspective based on my own experience, as I can still see and understand the reasons why this is such a praised and beloved series by its fans.

I need to start this review with some clarification and ... background. You’d be thinking after reading this that I’m no fan of Hunter x Hunter, but that isn’t the case. (I would definitely not be writing this lengthy review of a TV series if it didn’t mean much to me). Back in 2016, after reading somewhere else how this series was “so much better than Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”, a series I had recently finished and liked, I felt naturally interested to know what the craze about this show about a boy with spiky hair, a green outfit and a fishing rod was about. I knew it had two versions, one from 1999 and one from 2011, but as a lover of the 90s cel-animation aesthetics (and because it had a dub in my own language), I felt inclined to start it with the older one. And it was love at first sight. It’s quite hard to describe with words, but never before I had felt with such intensity a true sense of immersion from the very start. Hunter x Hunter made me understand the true meaning of the word “hook”; I was to my surprise immediately and joyfully dragged into its world thanks to its enormously captivating, mysterious yet realistic nature and atmosphere and its irresistible somber feel, that made me want to genuinely follow this orphan kid in his quest venturing into the unknown, uncovering mysteries, facing all sort of obstacles and meeting friends and foes in his way. And by the time I finished the mind tests in Trick Tower, the feeling of amazement had become so intense that I knew this series had already become an instant all-time favorite. The original version of Hunter x Hunter gave me a watching experience of those you don’t find very often.

I didn’t honestly feel much of all this when starting later the 2011 remake version by Madhouse. I don’t want to sound like an annoying broken record here, but I really have to say that when it comes to the execution of the first four arcs, Nippon Animation’s 1999 adaptation is so immensely superior that it’s hard to understand how can anyone who has seen both of them believe otherwise. This is not just because of the grittier, bleaker art style and the more natural, earthier color palette and shading/lighting -both in characters and backgrounds- that mix together to create a delightfully sinister, realistic atmosphere that makes you feel you are not only a mere external TV watcher, but instead another character inside this wondrous yet wicked world joining the adventures of our cast, a feeling present since minute 1 that expresses at its fullest during the York City arc, where the city is not shown just as a mere setting, but instead as another omnipotent character lurking from the shadows enveloping the whole cast and narrative. It’s neither just because of the much more realistic characters' designs, nor the more mood-setting, emotion-stimulating music, that here is crafted with way more personality and is more than just BGM; it actually plays a key role in establishing the atmospheres, creating the moments and sucking the audience into the world. No, it is also -and mainly- because of the overall direction and this very meticulous, careful attention to small details which are the true responsible of fully submerging the viewer, capturing way better its desired sense of adventure and mystery, cleverly composing and joining together each scene, setting way better the desired moods for the right moments, keeping the viewer at the edge of his seat always wanting to know how the story would unfold, and ultimately bringing a vastly more exciting, warmer and memorable experience.

2011, on the other hand, is just not the same. There’s nothing technically wrong with its execution, but here I didn’t feel the same level of mind, heart and passion poured into its production that I did feel with 1999. For a lack of a better term, the best way I can describe it is that it just feels “okay-ish”. It lacks touch. It feels somewhat insipid. It just does what it has to do, with minimal effort required. Let’s do what we have to do quick so then we can go to party. The art doesn’t feel anything special, and the colors and lighting decisions don’t suit the overall dark, gloomy and realistic nature of the show (the colors are just excessively bright and the edges too clean to be able to create a more human, natural, relatable environment and the rough, outdoor sense of the show; instead, they make it feel more artificial, plastic-looking and videogame-ish. Nothing inherently wrong with this, but it’s just way less charming, haunting and inspiring!). Some of the characters' designs look too goofy for their own sake, especially Illumi, who in 2011 looks more like a ridiculous clown, whereas in 1999 looks actually like the menacing, merciless creepy murderer he is. Music is nowhere as full of personality, mood-stimulating as the one of the older version is and the tracks are barely memorable, some of them painfully generic (especially the boring drums and guitar riffs one, that doesn’t suit well with the tone of the series), though I have to admit that it improves a lot later during the 6th arc. (Although, when “Legend of the Martial Artist” is played like 2 times per episode, it eventually becomes tiring). But much more important than art and music, is the way the story is told, and especially during the Hunter Exam arc, where the differences are more noticeable. I can’t blame those who say that this arc was “nothing special” or “generic, boring shounen introduction”, because it’s precisely this okay-ish execution that makes it feel like that, as opposed to 1999 where it was a complete different story! The older version put much more attention into the introduction and build-up of both the world, the characters and their backstories, there you can see them interact more with each other and you can see how their relationships grow more smoothly, it does a much better job when it comes to establish a genuine sense of mystery and intrigue about what would happen later on and there are many scenes with nice attention to characters’ facial expressions, showing what are they feeling in regards to everything they are living, an approach that here adds a great sense of naturalism. The 2011 version just paled in comparison regarding this, which decided to speed things up by cutting many relevant moments in order to get to the unadapted content as soon as possible.

I initially wanted and I’d love to delve more into this matter by providing and describing concrete scene-by-scene examples, but considering that would have made this review insanely long, I had to dismiss the idea. Nevertheless, I think my point is clear, and these comparisons can be found with great detail in many other places for anyone interested. All I’m going to add here is that it saddens me the little love and attention Nippon Animation’s adaptation gets in comparison to Madhouse’s one, when it isn’t in any case inferior to it despite the latter going further in the story, much less for shallow reasons such as “because old animation”, “because newer version with higher resolution”, or because “it has fillers” (seriously, this idea that 1999 is “dragged by fillers” I don’t know where does it come from, when the filler count is a mere FIVE episodes and guess what: they are GREAT! Since not only they are actually well-integrated into the story, but also they enhance it: in particular, the additional bonus stage in the exam where the examinees have to cooperate together in order to make an abandoned battleship work to save themselves is very good since not only is highly enjoyable and one of the highlights of the arc, but also because it sets a nice contrast with the following test where they would have to hunt each other). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say here that 2011’s version of the earlier parts isn’t worth the watch, it’s just that the 1999 one is in a whole superior level, it’s something else, is way more enjoyable, is the one that understands that there’s a viewer outside the screen eager to live something memorable and the one I would recommend, even if unfinished.

But of course, putting stylistic and directing differences aside, substantially speaking on paper it’s 90% the same thing. Regarding the first four arcs (Hunter Exam – York City), it’s a competent show featuring a well-constructed, well-thought intriguing storyline that flows well from arc to arc, blending well the dark and lighthearted moments, and there’s hardly anything wrong to say about them apart from a somewhat anti-climactic ending for the York City arc that didn’t live up to its full potential, by leaving some things not concluded and postponed for later on. It also features a likeable and relatable, yet complex set of characters each with their own motivations, backstories and well-defined personalities that feel real and contrast nice with each other, with Killua being the most interesting of the bunch as he’s the most mysterious and layered one and rightfully so the one that “steals the show”. (There’s also this debate on whether Gon qualifies as a “typical shounen protagonist” or not, which I will not address here since, typical or not, he is a good character anyway). With the exception of ¼ of the main cast (Leorio), all of its members receive a fair share of attention and/or development at some point. The set of antagonists is also good with the Genei Ryodan/Phantom Troupe members being the highlight, who are more than just bad guys who want to do bad things because villains and feel real with good motivations, distinctive personalities and backstories as well. Finally, it features a complex power system (nen) that allows creative fighting (though there’s nothing inherently wrong with just power levels and brute strength, by the way). I don’t want to delve further here since all these elements have already been described better in other reviews.

However, by the time the 5th arc of the show -Greed Island- starts, where Gon and Killua would participate in a game Ging had created and would train their nen abilities, the first real problems arise when part of the “magic” is gone; the series starts to feel quite different by the introduction of a straight fantasy and scifi-ish vibe with the whole getting inside a video game phenomenon (even if later it’s explained that it wasn’t really that) which felt out-of-place when remembering the fairly realistic, natural setting and what I like to call a warm “wood and stone” vibe that had characterized the show so far and which caused the audience to feel a little uneasy. The fantasy elements of the show, which so far had been limited to just some special, quirky abilities of the nen users and some weird creatures in the beginning, are taken to an extreme here when nen starts becoming the excuse for all kinds of unimaginable situations to happen, like building up not only an entire island out of nowhere, but also its inhabitants (!), materializing from nowhere any type of object just by spelling its name, getting teleported and summoning an angel that would out of nowhere regenerate a body part. It was in this arc where it became evident that Hunter x Hunter didn’t have the intentions to keep its original concept the viewer had stuck its mind to and had invested its expectations. Nonetheless, these feelings of strangeness still lay within tolerable boundaries and were nowhere as strong as the ones the next arc in the series would give, an arc which in my opinion, consists in Hunter x Hunter’s fatal error, the lethal wound from which it would never recover and the main reason explaining its non-functioning condition.

And here’s where I wanted to get.

The Chimera Ants arc. The famous Chimera Ants arc. Regarded by many as the so-called “best arc in shounen anime”, the 6th and longest arc in the series is without a question the fan-favorite one, the one that explains most of its praise, and the reason why it places so high in anime online rankings. However, to my eyes (and fully aware I’m in the minority here) the story is quite the opposite: it’s actually the main reason why I think Hunter x Hunter (2011) is NOT really a series that works well, why it frustratingly disappoints and why I had to sadly withdraw from this Hunting party after seeing the direction it had taken. And this is not because “it drags on too long” or because of the “heavy, annoying use of narration”, which are the two most common criticisms people make towards it (and that to my eyes, are not problems at all), but rather because this arc…has absolutely nothing to do with anything that had been shown before. It’s a total momentum breaker, a complete deviation from the premise that had been developing so far, that established an annoying sense of discontinuity thanks to a sudden, unannounced change in focus, making the audience ask itself: “what is this? This is not what I was watching!”. This can be better seen and understood by making a recap of all the previous arcs. If we consider each arc of the series as a chapter of a book, this is, in brief, how the Hunter x Hunter story was progressing:

• Chapter 1: A boy, motivated to find his dad that had abandoned him since birth, leaves his home and must complete a famous, dangerous exam as the 1st step, where he would also meet his first real friends. He passes it.
• Chapter 2: After an unfortunate event towards the end of said exam, he goes to rescue from his wicked family one of those recently met friends, since he wants to be with him and wants him to join him in his journey. He succeeds.
• Chapter 3: The two boys, now together, realize that, in order to be able to survive alone in their quest, they need money, so they go to a place where they think they can make a lot of it quickly. They make it, and then they decide to take a break and return to the boy’s home to rest a bit and evaluate what to do next, where, now with Hunter’s license in hand, they discover the next clue to find dad.
• Chapter 4: The two boys travel to the city where they need to be at to find the next clue, and where also one of the other friends they met in the Hunter exam is going to solve his own issues.
• Chapter 5: The two boys participate in a game that, if won, would put them one step closer of dad. They win it, which leads them to meet a close friend of him that could give them valuable information regarding his whereabouts and/or could give them hints regarding what to do next in their journey.
• Chapter 6: The two boys instead, decide to join a mission to confront an invasion of overpowered beasts that threaten the world.

Huh? This “6th chapter” I’ve just described, as it can clearly be noticed, has little to just no relation with the five previous ones, and constitutes a drastic rupture in the flow of the story. In one minute, it is about a boy who was in his quest to find his father and in the next one, about the same boy and his best friend fighting and stopping from dominating the world powerful beasts that -narratively speaking- come out of nowhere. There is no natural continuity here; the arc is entirely a forced detour from the street in which the plot had been driving so far which hadn’t even been previously signaled at all (foreshadowing), inevitably catching the audience off-guard since there was just no way it could see it coming and getting prepared for it. In other words: the Chimera Ants arc simply pops-up in the middle of an unconcluded story, interrupting the natural flow of the show’s overall narrative, changing both its focus and vibe overnight and forcing the audience to now pay attention to something else completely unrelated to what it had invested both its interest and time in. It almost feels like the magical card Gon uses at the end of Greed Island arc teleports us to an entire different show! No offense to anyone here, but it really makes me wonder if all those who didn’t have any problem with this were actually caring about the story they were watching or not.

It doesn’t help the fact that the transition to its development is not even credible (in which case its inclusion would have been at least more acceptable). Gon and Killua, since the ants issue clearly wasn’t something related to their dad-finding quest and wasn’t any type of “next stage” he had prepared for him like the Greed Island game was, never had any believable reasons to join Kite’s biological investigation and to get involved in it from the beginning, even more when considering that it’s not as if anyone had asked or obliged them to do so or they never really had an option. After spending 75 episodes worth of sacrifice, pain and struggle, facing and overcoming all sort of complicated obstacles to find his dad… why would exactly Gon after all this, have any real intentions to embark himself into another different mission that just never had anything to do with him (and dragging Killua in the process, since he just follows him anywhere he goes) and was not going to help him to fulfill his initial real objective? His attitude made no sense, and his curious voluntary decision to join Kite’s team was nothing but an artifice on the part of the author to build the (artificial) bridge among arcs he needed to be able to now develop a story that had nothing to do with anything he had written before. (Of course, it’s not as if Gon’s sudden change of priorities couldn’t be possible, it’s just that, for narrative purposes, and from an audience standpoint, it was not believable). And it is precisely this lack of a believable or justifiable link between the motivations of the protagonists and the recently emerged biological threat which gives the audience few to no reasons to feel genuinely interested in it, much less when it had been already interested in another conflict/thread beforehand that hadn’t even been concluded yet. If there are no reasons why our protagonists should be caring about this biological anomaly, the new characters it introduces and their stories, then why the audience should?

Some people argue that this isn’t really an issue because there was never a “main story” in Hunter x Hunter to begin with, that it was instead always just “Gon and friends exploring the world”; a collection of stories with different purposes and tones with the protagonists as the only constants, and that this arc was just one of the many different quests, a statement I fully disagree with. Hunter x Hunter was never about random adventuring. Here we had a clear, well-defined goal from the start. Moreover (and unlike some other battle shounens), the protagonist was actually and actively doing actions for the achievement of that goal since day 1. It was this goal the common thread that was unifying all the previous arcs. How can it be said then that there was never any overarching story? There was a clear direction here, and the Chimera Ants arc opted to deviate from it. Others say that Gon didn’t dismiss his search for dad, and just decided to follow Kite because he was well-respected by him. This could be true, but we as an audience, we expected him to continue with what he had been doing so far because we were invested in THAT struggle, yet the show, in the form of Gon’s decision, asked us to now be invested in something else and to forget for a (not precisely short) moment of the main reasons we were following the show. The whole arc then for these reasons felt ultimately like a gigantic filler arc, except that it wasn’t! It’s quite funny and curious to notice how the arc that was sold as the “main dish” or the “main attraction” of the series, and the one the fanbase favorites the most, actually was the one with the least amount of relevance and that least had to do with its premise!

But what was really wrong with this? Why is it really bothering? Not only because of the continuity break and sudden focus-change I mentioned earlier, but in reality because the “DNA” of the show is suddenly artificially mutated into something else here. In concrete terms, with the forced inclusion of this arc, Hunter x Hunter is transformed (at least the way I see it) into what it never really was: a straight battle shounen about fighters and fights. Gon and Killua are now these full-time, “badass” super-warriors with cool superpowers that feel the duty to stop evil creatures from doing damage to the world, and Hunter x Hunter, once a series about a boy in his quest to find his dad, is now a series about fighting powerful enemies and saving the Earth.

Like…seriously. Is this the reason why the audience signs up for in the beginning of the show when it knows nothing about it? Does the audience expect to watch another Dragon Ball Z with large-scale battles, powerful enemies that threaten the world and warriors who confront them when it’s watching the first arcs, when it was all about fairly normal people living adventures and trying to accomplish simple, mundane goals? I don’t think so. The C.A. arc makes Hunter x Hunter feel like a completely different series from what it had been and it is both disappointing and unsettling to notice. And while it’s true that the show had featured some (scattered) fights earlier, the show wasn’t really about them, they were never the focus, and all of them were still “down-to-earth” (this is: no “over 9000” stuff) and were actually linked to the motivations and purposes of the main cast; they represented real obstacles the protagonists had to face in order to meet their goals and/or to move to the next stage. And that can’t be said about the nature of the fights in C.A. arc. Hunter x Hunter was not a show about fighting and defeating powerful enemies that appear in the way. It never suggested to be so, despite having a power system, because Gon and Killua were never the cool shounen super-warriors owning powerful enemies after training and getting stronger. Yes, they were special, quicker and stronger than average people, but just that, they were still two normal boys the audience could always relate to since they were never depicted as shounen heroes who were going to take down the enemy in turn with world-domination or destruction purposes, but rather as people that could have been your simple, next door friends. Unfortunately, that sweet sense of relatability was totally lost here, where they were both turned into unrecognizable super-warriors having their badass “super saiyan” shounen moments (I know technically they aren’t that, but it’s still how they feel) and the down-to-earth feel of the series was lost too. It was quite a shame and a displeasure to see how a series that had given the impression of being just about fairly normal boys going in adventures, uncovering mysteries, facing and overcoming challenges in their quest to achieve clear personal goals, betrayed its audience when it suddenly replaced its adventurous nature by a straight battle shounen setting, feel and structure, despite having promised something else in the beginning.

You’d be thinking after reading all this that I have nothing good to say about the C.A. arc, but that’s not the case. It can’t be denied that the arc has the most ambitious writing of all, is morally complex and features thought-provoking ideas by exploring well the themes of the relationship between human beings, animals and their coexistence, the man vs the beast, the food chain and what does it mean to be a “perfect being” that will rule every species, among others. Also that it features a well-written main antagonist and that it shows interesting character development for both sides (though, it’s a shame how we finally got some great development for Gon during a conflict that had a filler-feel attached to it), all of these elements that certainly add value in a story. However, in line with the aforementioned continuity issue, the only way all of these elements can materialize their value is if they belong to something that feels to the audience relevant to begin with and/or contribute in a significant way to the main story of the series, which isn’t the case here when remembering there was never a natural transition to the arc, so they become -as harsh as it sounds- useless. No matter how dark and deep it wants to be, if it is something unrelated to the core of the series, there’s little reason the audience should care about all those themes. It’s hard to do it when the arc is structurally flawed since it doesn’t fit or can’t be connected in an organic way with all the previous ones. Besides, it doesn’t help that all of these themes have actually more relation to the character of Meruem instead of Gon. In fact, it can be seriously said that the main character of this arc is in reality Meruem than Gon. Why should then said themes matter much when they have little relation to the motivations of the main cast of the series? Themes alone are not enough to carry a narrative if the events surrounding them have little relation to it.

In the end, what I’m trying to say here is that it’s not that the arc is bad on itself, it’s that it reduces the overall value of the whole show when joined with what had been developed before, because it makes it not work in the long run. (It’s the complete opposite to a synergy; making a mathematical analogy here, let’s call the value of the first 75 episodes (A) as V(A) and the value of the chimera ants arc (B) as V(B), what we have here is that the value of the combination, V(A+B), is less than the value of the sum of the parts: V(A+B) < V(A) + V(B)). Despite some issues, the C.A. arc is an interesting arc, but only when thinking of it as a separated, stand-alone entity from the earlier parts of the series. I can’t help but thinking that it would have been much better had it been part of another series where it could have fit more.

Speaking about issues, the arc isn’t exactly free of some of them that, while not (that) severe, they certainly don’t help its cause and make it hard to consider a perfect one like the fanbase claims. For the sake of not making this review longer than what it already is, I’ll just list some of them, without going into much detail (and no, the slow pacing and the narrator aren’t part of them).

• It made 50% of the main cast be nowhere to be found for 50% of the whole show (it’s curious how other shounens are criticized for leaving relevant characters behind, yet Hunter x Hunter for some reason is excused for doing the same!), which is not something irrelevant narratively speaking. Kurapika and Leorio deserved better.
• Some of the “ants” had plain ludicrous, laughable aspects, which made it difficult to take the arc as seriously as it wanted to be taken.
• The Gyro episode was totally useless, since he never becomes a relevant character later on, as well as those dedicated to showcase an uninteresting fight between some minor ants and some Phantom Troupe members, who were by force crammed in the story just so it could be said “hey, see? We haven’t forgotten about them!”.
• Why would the Hunter Association let two inexperienced kids help them to get rid of the ants instead of asking more experienced hunters do the risky, difficult job?
• How did the ant queen get there and why is she larger than the “normal” chimera ants shown in the first episode by the lake? There is little explanation as to how these creatures came to be, which would have been appreciated.
• Also how the ants were able to retain part of the memories of the human beings from which they were created was too unrealistic. What’s inherited were genes, and memories have nothing to do with them.
• The character of Komugi is presented as a plot device to show development for Meruem. She wasn’t ever really important.
• Part of Gon’s development is rather acting out-of-character when he threatened to murder an innocent blind girl he knew had nothing to do with Pitou.
• Some highly dramatic and serious moments were partially ruined with bad comedy in the form of Pouf’s eccentric, effeminate behavior, in particular during the king’s recovery process. That was... just bad.
• I really don’t have a problem with this, but I do have a problem when I see how other shounens are criticized for the inclusion of the so-called “power of friendship”, but Hunter x Hunter is curiously not when it does exactly the same thing when we see how Killua could remove the needle his brother implanted in his head thanks to…remembering his friendship with Gon. So no, it’s not like Hunter x Hunter completely avoids any type of emotion-based solution.
• Some people contend that Gon having an anger burst for Kite leading to his transformation was questionable since they hadn’t spent that much time together to develop enough feelings for him. I don’t agree with this, since Kite had always been an important figure to him, but I do agree that it would have certainly been much better and impactful had the murdered figure been someone more important to him like Killua or even Ging (had the case been he met him after G.I. arc).
• Finally, and the one I consider the worst one, Kite “reviving” into a little girl was plain dumb, and this only served to drastically diminish the emotional impact of Gon’s said transformation scene shown only 5 episodes earlier. Now it turns out that Gon had lost his shit for someone that hadn’t ever really died! (at least, not his soul). Narratively speaking is anti-climactic.

Moving to the last arc of the show, where the Hunter Association has to discuss how to elect its new chairman, Killua once again has to solve some family issues and Gon is magically recovered by a more sophisticated version of the dragon balls (literally), Chairman Election arc is a very disappointing way to conclude the series because not only it deals with the consequences of the Chimera Ants arc; it also suffers from them. Its most obvious unfortunate result is that yes, Gon finally meets his goal of finding dad, but not thanks to his own efforts, but rather thanks to fortune; Ging would not have gone to the celebration of the election at the Association had Netero not died and Netero would not have died if the ants had not shown up. In other words, because of the Chimera Ants arc, the show misses the opportunity of a more intriguing goal-resolution and a well-earned final prize for Gon. He finds him thanks to circumstances that didn’t depend on him. Why announcing the quest of finding Ging as a puzzle if at the end the puzzle never had to be solved? What was the point then? Moreover, it doesn’t help that the way the long-awaited first meeting occurs is not as inspiring as it should have been, considering it was the reason of the audience's investment in the show and all of Gon’s hard work. The crucial moment, instead of being treated dramatically and seriously, is treated very lightly with unfitting comedy, funny faces and funny music for no reason, like it hadn’t ever been serious business. Pretty underwhelming way to show the most important moment of the whole series.

I can’t see Hunter x Hunter (2011) as a fully satisfying show, much less the peak of shounen anime. Not when it fails to deliver what it had promised in the beginning and suffers from severe continuity problems both in vibe (starting in Greed Island arc) and later also in focus (in Chimera Ants arc), that turn it ultimately into a troubled, deformed show where the audience doesn’t know what it’s watching anymore and feels confused regarding what it wants to be or do. I can’t help but thinking it would have been much better had it stuck to what it set out to do from the start and had it kept its initial focus instead of straying from it (with not even a natural, believable transition) with the inclusion of the Chimera Ants arc that made it not work in the long run. Why couldn’t it just follow the path it had clearly established, with a story related to the objectives of any member of the main cast? What was really the need to depart from it? If the answer is adding more maturity, thought-provoking ideas and showing more development to Gon and Killua, there were better ways to do so with a continuation actually linked to the premise, with for example a more complex next stage in their mission to find Ging that would have been much more interesting and rewarding, instead of massively shifting the attention into a story that for the protagonists' purposes was just a side-quest with fillerish-feel and little relation to the driver of the narrative.

As someone who found very good and enjoyed the earlier parts of the series (especially in its first 1999 adaptation), was deeply immersed in its story, characters and world and was obviously very interested to know how it would keep unfolding and end, I badly wanted to like Hunter x Hunter (2011) and join this party, but unfortunately that couldn’t be the case for all the reasons I’ve explained. It’s not a straight bad series at all, but -despite understanding the reasons why it enjoys such a good reputation among the fans- it also isn’t something I would easily recommend to anyone, nor call the “best action shounen of all”, a distinction I’d contend either version of the Fullmetal Alchemist series enjoys (and this even when neither of them is my all-time personal favorite), which, unlike Hunter x Hunter (2011), are both of them fully well-functioning and satisfying in their own ways. 6/10.

"You should enjoy the little detours in life to the fullest, because that's where you'll find things more important than what you want." - Ging Freecss

Hunter x Hunter 2011 is a unique beast of a show. It sits in a strange limbo between genres in a space all its own, like some kind of odd Chimera of shounen and seinen. At first glance it appears to be a rather childish show, with an art style composed entirely of cartoonish proportions, large eyes and bright colors, which stems initially from Togashi's manga style. In fact, without any outside input, one would not be wrong to assume ... it was targeted at children. But under this initial layer of bright colors, and messages of friendship and loyalty, lies a deeper, darker show than anyone could have initially imagined. Questions of what it means to be human, what constitutes a life well-lived, and other topics that would not be out of place in serious adult dramas. One could say that I have stared into the abyss, and I am here to tell you that the abyss has most definitely stared into me.

Story - 10/10. Story telling is really Togashi's specialty. He crafts a continuous and satisfying narrative from start to finish, with excellent pacing, lovable characters, and some entirely unexpected twists along the way. Characters aside, the story itself is fairly straightforward - Gon, the protagonist, wants to become a "Hunter" not for the benefits the title confers, but so he can find his father, who abandoned Gon as an infant so he could follow his own dreams (hence the name of the show - Gon becomes a "Hunter Hunter"). Along the way, Gon encounters a variety of characters that each have their own relative significance, makes friends and enemies, and undergoes any number of trials and adventures. But this straightforward story is presented and executed in such a way that it feels very organic and comfortable. This comfortable feeling serves as a waypoint during the darker points in the story, a lighthouse of sorts to guide one through the moral murkiness and sadness that the story presents.
The story covers what is now a total of 7 story arcs, each with their own self-contained narrative. These arcs vary in length greatly - the shortest covers only 5 episodes, while the largest spans a time-consuming chunk of 61 total episodes - over a third of the entire show. But none of these feel out of place - each one seems to last only as long as it really needs to, and none of them feel as if they left too early, nor that they overstayed their welcome. Given that some episodes take 23 minutes to cover 5 seconds of in-world time, this is a marvel of pacing and narration. Some points are slower than others, particularly the beginning episodes of each arc, but at no point does it feel as if it is dragging. This is due in part to the complete lack of filler content - aside from one "recap" type episode, each episode of the show presents some kind of story-relevant material, so it always feels like the story is moving forward. All of these factors combined come together to create an overarching narrative that feels very much as if it were adhering to the quote at the top of this review - this is a show, and a story, that focus very much on the journey, the PROCESS of going somewhere, instead of on the destination.

Art - 8/10. Madhouse has always been hailed as a studio that produces high-quality work, and this show is no different. It is not always the pinnacle of visual quality, but like the story, the visual quality remains at a very consistent and pleasing level. At no point is it glaringly obvious that they neglected to spread the budget properly. High moments (i.e. the major fight sequences) have appropriately high quality, while those in-between sort of segments maintain a pleasing, but not excessive level of detail.
My one main gripe with the animation of the show is the amount of time dedicated to hand-to-hand combat in the show. In a show that is predominantly about martial artists engaging in battles, there is a somewhat disappointing lack of choreography. Very rarely do you see two characters exchanging blows directly, even if both of them specialize in hand-to-hand melee combat. This is ultimately not enough to knock a point off of the score, but is something I would have liked to see more of.

Sound - 8/10. Much like the art, the sound quality stays at a consistent and pleasing level throughout the entire show. Any complaints here are simply my own personal tastes, i.e. I don't very much enjoy the opening song that is used for the entire show, and some of the background pieces that play during the show feel sometimes out of place. But when the music needs to deliver, it does in spades.
One thing I feel that is worth noting is that the show is obviously very aware of the value of silence. At a few points, there is no music at all, which, I feel, greatly increases the impact of these scenes. Very often now, we see shows that seem to feel as if music must ALWAYS be playing in the background, and when a show goes the opposite direction and uses silence, it creates a wonderful distinction.

Characters - 10/10. If the overall story is the bones of Hunter x Hunter, then the characters are the muscles and organs - the "heart" of the show. These are the elements of a story that allow us to connect with it personally, to draw parallels between the world that a story presents and our own reality. Inhuman or inorganic characters can completely break the immersion of a story, or if it presents characters that we dislike in a way that feels unrealistic. Togashi excels at creating likable and relatable characters, who each have his or her own (relatively) understandable motivations. The characters develop in a meaningful and noticeable way over the course of the story, lending them a definitively human feeling. Morality is very subjective in this show - very few characters fall into a black and white "good vs evil" morality. In fact, I would say that this show does not have a moral "grey area," it has instead a "moral rainbow," a multitude of different motivations and moral scales that interact with each other in an ever-changing spread of different moral hues. We see "good" characters exhibit emotional and perhaps even "evil" behaviors, while at the same time in a different place, our "villains" may be helping to save someone they care about, an action one would normally consider to be a "good" action. I would like to believe that this show does not have heroes and villains - it simply has protagonists and antagonists, two parties working in opposite, but equally understandable and justifiable directions.

Enjoyment - 10/10. I think it would come as no surprise that this is my verdict after the review above, but this is my place to reiterate that I believe this show is a masterpiece of storytelling. To have so many exceptional moments, emotions, and wonderful landmarks packed into 148 episode worth' of show is nothing short of spectacular. Togashi and Madhouse have worked together to create what I think is one of the best stories - not anime, not shows, but stories - of all time. Highly recommended.

I came to know the original version of HxH years ago. At first, the only thing I cared about in the series was the Hunter exam. I just wanted to know what kind of test it was so I tried watching it and surprisingly, I loved both the story and the characters after a few episodes. Years later, I was delighted when I heard about the reboot and from start to finish, Hunter x Hunter (2011) doesn't disappoint.

The story starts with Gon, a 12-year-old boy who sets out on a journey to find his father and his first step is to become a Hunter. A ... Hunter is an individual who has enough luck and talent to pass the Hunter exam. A Hunter specializes in something, can be practically anything, you name it. A Hunter lives by a power system called Nen in a universe that cleverly reflects the dark side of our real world.

Essentially, being a Hunter isn't special but when it's combined with a well-designed power system and universe, it means infinite possibilities and I have to say Yoshihiro Togashi brilliantly executes that.

This series has all shounen elements but doesn't follow generic shounen patterns. It begins simply but gradually gets more complex and very unpredictable. The journey of the protagonist and his friends to achieve their goals is as reasonable and realistic as it can get. It has many details, takes time and consists of both success and failure. The MCs don't get the privilege of having special powers or suddenly getting stronger for no reason. They train and evolve as the story progresses. On the other hand, the antagonists don't just act out of pure evil. Their reasons are justifiable from different perspectives.

HxH has 7 arcs. Each one is related but has its own conflict and uniqueness. My personal favorite is the Yorknew arc from episode 39-58. After each arc, the concept of Hunter is explored bit by bit and you will keep getting a bigger picture of the whole Hunter universe. The atmosphere varies from a light-hearted shounen to one of the darkest seinen to fit each arc so it keeps things fresh and intriguing. Each fight is mostly strategic-based and relatively short. It's clever and never defies the logic of Nen.

Apart from the story, the best thing about the series is the characters. For me, characters make or break the show and HxH characters are top-notch. They really make the series shine.

Most, if not, all characters and their relationships are realistic because they are imperfect. Not only the MCs, many supporting characters have also undergone a substantial amount of development through the course of the series. Most of them are round characters with distinctive personalities, appearances, backgrounds, powers, ambitions and the ability to think. Their actions are driven by their own judgment as an individual, not what the plot requires them to do so it's very easy to sympathize with them, even the antagonists.

In terms of production, HxH has a unique art style with great and very consistent animation for a series that has over 100 episodes. The pacing is satisfying because there are no fillers at all. Voice actors and actresses are suitable for each character. OPs, EDs and OSTs are good even if there is only one opening song.

As for the negatives, there isn't a major problem in the series and all the minor ones i.e. change of narration style and slow pacing in 6th arc, repetitive op song, the long absence of a character, etc. didn't bother me as much. If anything, I think the only reason you shouldn't watch HxH now is because the manga is still ongoing. Despite a somewhat satisfying conclusion, you could call these 148 episodes a season one and honestly, you will not get a season two, not anytime soon considering the hiatus history of Togashi.

All in all, Hunter x Hunter (2011) exceeds all my expectations. I would recommend this series to anyone, especially a shounen fan because I think it's one of the very few anime that is truly remarkable, well-executed and very enjoyable. Watch it and you will understand why this anime deserves its rank.

Hunter x Hunter has always been one of those anime that looks amateur or goofy at first hand. Yet, behind those innocent faces is a classic tale of an adventure. Hunter x Hunter is more just about becoming hunters and being the best at what they do. Rather, it’s a show about development with a cleverly written story wrapped with a colorful cast of diverse characters. For starters, Hunter x Hunter is a series that invites attention when it comes to storytelling. There are various arcs with characters that can easily be attached for their personalities, abilities, and most importantly…class. As Hunter x Hunter is ... a shounen series, it’s also an anime that develops beyond just the typical “save the world”.

Adapted from the popular manga series written by Togashi, Hunter x Hunter (2011) is a remake of the original series. Now, it not only has more detailed animation quality but also expands on several arcs that never made itself debut on screen.

The story tells about a young boy named Gon as he strives to become a professional hunter and find his Father. During his journey, he meets protagonists including Kurapika (a young boy with a dark past), Killua (an assassin from the infamous Zoldyck family), and Leorio (a fellow Hunter candidate hoping to make a career from his journey). Essentially, the series details Gon’s ambition to become a hunter. And to do that, they must go through the torturous Hunter Exam, a series of brutal tests that pushes the boundaries of survival and wit. While this also seems like good old fashioned fun, the series also expands beyond this and gets darker as well as more complex. The Yorknew Arc is a testament example of this as it takes on an unusually mature style of storytelling. The infamous Phantom Troupe (antagonists involved in the arc) serves as a driving factor to how dangerous the HxH world can truly be. Along with that, we also have Kurapika and his quest for revenge against the Troupe for what they’ve done in the past. What makes the show shine itself in this particular isn’t just by the growing more mature style of its presentation but by the driving factors. Surprising twists are revealed and the main characters gets intertwined in way that may change their lives forever.

Similarly, the Chimera Ant arc also adapts into a more mature style of storytelling. What makes this arc stands out also is not just the typical shounen style battles. Instead, it cleverly crafts its antagonists (the Chimera Ants) including its leader, Mereum, the King. Several of the antagonists undergoes unique changes and their dynamics is reflected by development through relationship building. Most prominently, Mereum’s characterization blurs along the line between human and monster as his development is expanded by his interactions with a human girl. Additionally, Gon’s inner desires to avenge a friend reaches a peak in this arc that will change his character forever. Along with that, the arc is notorious for its violence as blood is spilled, heads flies off, and limbs are blown to pieces. In one triumphant moment, the series pulls off a stunning moment that leaves almost every character shocked and speechless in their words. Maybe you might get that reaction too. With cleverly constructed dialogues and character building, the Chimera Ant arc goes beyond just a fantasy trope of ‘invasive species taking over mankind’.

Characterization is important and it comes in all shapes and sizes. The first instance is Gon, an energetic young boy with a whole lot of potential. His friendly demeanor earns him many allies including the cold-hearted Killua. Fearless and putting others before himself, Gon’s true visage comes to his ability to keep a promise. Several instances in the series depicts him shooting for near impossible tasks. But it’s important to realize at the same time that Gon’s actions are not self-motivated but usually for others’ sake. On the other hand, Killua comes off as a socially awkward boy with a head of mischievous ideas. Even so, he is a talented assassin having being trained from an early age in the art by his family. His relationship with Gon is a driving factor as the two becomes similar to brothers. This is very evident during one of the arcs when Killua plays on a very big risk to save Gon from death by consulting with a dangerous individual. Also interesting to note is the very family relationships he has with others. Killua’s family is a group of assassins including his mother, father, and brothers. They treat him differently on individual basis as some sees him as the rightful heir of the Zoldyck name while others wants to control him. The most prominent relationship he has is perhaps with his older brother, Illumi, a talented assassin who has installed fear into the young boy. Throughout the series, it’s interesting to note how Killua deals with the inner struggles of that fear. He faces against powerful opponents such as the Phantom Troupe and Chimera Ants. Sometimes, it feels as if he is fighting against himself when he struggles with his psyche. Nonetheless, Killua’s family is more than just deadly as they held some influences on the young boy’s life.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a family anymore in this show. Kurapika is perhaps a tragic example of this as his clan was murdered. Seeking revenge against the Phantom Troupe, Kurapika’s desire to wipe them from the face of the earth goes to mind-breaking depths. Not only does he put himself in grave risk with his newfound abilities but also his friends as well. The way his character is depicted becomes something of an avenger as we witness how he matures from a professional hunter to a warrior seeking for redemption. As the final main character, Leorio plays more as a support to the team. His role is often overshadowed by the others. Yet, he is involved in several key moments throughout series that influenced deciding factors. I wouldn’t call his role in the show as useless or stale though. Think of it more as lacking the “It” factor. What this means is that while Leorio lacks moments that viewers will remember him by, his role in the show is noticeable when the push comes the shove.

In essence, the antagonists of Hunter x Hunter may seem stereotypical. However, it’s easy to see that they can also be complex like a labyrinth. Characters such as Hisoka, Chrollo, and Mereum are prominent examples of this as their motives are often shrouded in mysteries. For instance, Hisoka (a serial killer and hunter) often plays life itself like is some kind of game. He always seeks out powerful opponents and hope that people like Gon would one day by strong enough to become a fruit to be “ripped. In certain ways, his role in the series can seem ambiguous as he sometimes tries to get in the way of the protagonists while other times assists them. In the end, it’s all fun and games to the man as he toys with other people’s lives for his own amusement. On the other hand, there are also antagonists that falls under a more stereotypical category such as the Bomber Trio during the Greed Island arc. Genthru, the leader of the trio, serves as an obstacle the protagonists must overcome. And as a sociopath, killing is no stranger in his vocabulary.

Hunter x Hunter also likes to play more on mind games but in a more logical way through conversations rather than a typical mind rape trope you might see in some psychological series. The final arc of the series (Election Arc) serves as a way to convey how certain characters talk in their style to characterize themselves and stand out in order to get what they want. Pariston, the Rat Zodiac, is perhaps the most prominent character of this as we see his role. But to say the least, the series’ ability to command presence of this characters to the viewers is through its innovative concepts to adapt. Most of the characters in this arc are also shrouded in mystery. And through this background, viewers will become interested by the potentials they hold.

The series’ fantasy style comes with in a variety of ways. The lavish lands such as the forest of the Hunter exam or the RPG gaming environment of Greed Island arc are examples of this. Similarly, it can rebound and become more civilized like a more modern setting such as the streets of metropolis of Yorknew City. Nonetheless, the show achieves its purpose by its ability to comfortably shift between settings without going off track. Similarly, the series has a battle system with Nen. Divided into six categories and heavily explored in the Heaven’s Area arc, it follows this concept for the remainder of the series. It’s easily understandable too without getting viewers to scratch their heads because the Hunter x Hunter shows, not just tell. And by doing that, it leaves behind an impression to viewers to understand and appreciate Nen and its ways.

Hunter x Hunter isn’t without flaws. While the series is more complex than meets the eye, there are moments when it feels painfully indulging to get through. The first arc (the Hunter exam) may seem slow and dragging at times. Leorio’s role in this arc may easily be forgettable while certain fights will be underwhelming. Certain characters may also be hard to take seriously throughout the course of the series and hard to understand. And while some of the antagonists may seem memorable, others can be a nuisance to get used to. This may even feature a few of the hunters in the show as their roles are diverged after their presence as compared to the main characters. Also noticeable is the repetitive OP song that never changes throughout the show. While this wouldn’t be a problem at first hand, it can feel less appealing. Similarly, the pacing of certain arcs can feel slow. In fact, it can be slow enough that some viewers may distance themselves from the show to come back to it later. In retrospect, it breaks apart the strong development into a weaker focus. Oh and while narration wasn’t a big problem for me throughout the series, certain viewers will find it distracting and needless as it drags out episodes; in particular the Chimera Ant arc. Nonetheless, this is a faithful adaptation of the manga so praise is definitely earned there.

Madhouse is the brainchild behind the anime production qualities. While some parts may lack the classic feeling of the original series, the show’s quality improves by its visuals. Certain scenes are enhanced or remastered to improved quality while others are expanded. However, the backlash might be their lesser faithfulness to certain parts to the manga. Nonetheless though, the series’ quality improves as the show goes on. The character designs are also distinctive such as the case with Hisoka, members of the Phantom Troupe, and the Chimera Ants. Characters’ designs also become more mature and complex such as the case with Kurapika. And as mentioned previously, the show’s fantasy atmosphere is a like a breath of fresh air. Most welcoming of course.

Soundtrack is decent although some parts lack appropriateness in the beginning and some bits later on. For most parts of the series, the soundtrack is strong and balances well between the comedy and serious moments. Emotional OST is also used during certain episodes to evoke feelings such as during the Phantom Troupe and Chimera Ant arc. Certain theme songs also fits their arcs well for overall impression. While the OP song remains the same throughout the entire course of the show, the ED song undergoes through various changes. Most of them have its dynamic setup and the ‘time to get it done’ feeling. Similarly enough, the voice mannerisms of the characters deserves its praise for their portrayal. Their voices not just serves as representation of their characters but also their personalities and development. With such a development, no wonder Hunter x Hunter is more than just a classy shounen.

The endgame of Hunter x Hunter is not just its battles. In fact, most of the battles aren’t very long or featured as the highlights (except in some cases in a few arcs). Rather, it’s by the structure of its well written story and unpredictable plot twists that will really suck you in for its delivery. The characters are complex with a style that is unparalleled when it comes to characterization. Not only do the main characters get spotlights but certain antagonists will also be memorable for their roles and development. And with Madhouse being at the steering wheel, you can expect this show to be worth every minute of it.

Hunter x Hunter could be described as a revolutionary and unorthodox anime in the sense that it is unpredictable, cunning and intelligent, especially when comparing it to other popular shōnen such as One Piece, Bleach or Naruto. It is a tale which seems to start off as a simple battle shōnen, yet escalates into an unforeseeable development that delves deep into human psychology, death and hope, in addition to being composed of one of the greatest cast of well fleshed out villains, which is very rare to see in the genre itself. It is a must watch for anyone who is acquainted to the medium. ... It is a show that can arguably boast of having the best arcs presented in shonens, which is an achievement on its own. With that being said, it naturally has its flaws as well which will be illustrated below in addition to its numerous strengths.

~Story~

The premise of Hunter x Hunter is simple in nature, the twelve-year-old Gon Freecs setting out to find his father, who abandoned him as a child to become a Hunter. Trying to understand why his own father abandoned him because of his profession Gon chooses to become one in order to find his father. It is a profession riddled with danger, ranging from tasks such as researching species, capturing criminals, searching for treasures or exploring the unknown. What however makes this anime outstanding is the journey it undertakes towards its conclusion, as many have pointed out, with a compelling narrative and fleshed out characters, fantastic soundtrack and animation. It is an adventure enveloped in friendships and encounters with the likes of Killua, Kurapika and Leorio, in addition to countless hardships and the search of what it actually means to be a hunter, an exploration of oneself.

The narrative is the strongest point of the anime, carrying a powerful analysis of humanity and several messages: to not group people into categories such as evil or good, friendship and the appreciation of the little things in life. Exposition wise, there is an external narrator at times, which explains in more detail several situations, as well as the characters thoughts, which for some may be a drawback. It presents itself with various types of situations seen in other anime such as tournaments, card battles, thriller and psychological ones throughout its duration, which in some cases don't blend in well with the narrative and the atmosphere. In a way, this breaks the immersion in the story as it often The story is structured into seven arcs, some huge, some magnificent, others arguably lackluster in comparison. Viewers may observe a progression into a darker atmosphere, whilst maintaining its moments of cheerfulness. Some of these arc are however far from perfect: plot holes, illogical actions, and plot convenient situations happen as well, together with some progression issues. Nevertheless, these could be easily overlooked as these were intriguing, full of suspense and were unpredictable; these can be brutal, where death and mayhem is present.

The pacing of the narrative is overall well done, hardly ever having stretched or rushed scenes, although later on it is apparent that some episodes were affected by these to accommodate the battle intense animation scenes. This affects mostly some episodes in the Chimera Ant arc. The first batch of episodes are mainly dedicated to the introduction of different characters and their respective goals, as well as slowly giving the viewer an image of how the world of Hunter x Hunter might be shaped. Furthermore, as story progresses, more is shown, which is actually quite interesting, as it is pretty unconventional. Being based on current human civilization with all the different flavours within, the flora is much more exotic, with huge trees, which could be said about the fauna as well. Audiences may attribute it to the likes of Dragon Ball in its variety. In addition, there are many places inaccessible for the common folk, only restricted to hunters due to the dangers within that region, which creates a lot potential for the author to work with.

As mentioned earlier, as the story develops, it begins displaying the different things in the world, such as the introduction of "Nen", social structure, a great variety of characters including villains, the different political factions within the Hunter Association and naturally, the adventure of the protagonists. However, when the anime begins to explore the psychological aspect, it is where it shines: it dedicates itself to the analysis of humanity and their nature as a species, as well as themes as cynicism and hope, whilst increasing the characterisation of its cast. These aspect are conveyed through the representation of dictatorship (which audiences may see some similarities to that of N.Korea), political discrepancies among hunters and the government, you name it. The author manages to portray said elements thoroughly, in addition to showing viewers the true beauty of nature and its infinite potential. Through the characters and their evolution, egoism, individuality, selflessness, loyalty and love are portrayed. It also exposes both ally and foe at their best and worst, enhancing the overall experience of the show.

Finally, another important aspect to consider is the battles that are executed alongside the story and its respective techniques and exploration. These are wonderfully relayed to the viewer, being well paced, intense and unpredictable. Another positive aspect is that said abilities are obtained through rigorous training (comparing it to other shōnens), which nearly eliminates the occurrence of power ups and "asspulls". What comes as a surprise however is that the main protagonists are susceptible to defeat, and are not the necessarily the strongest characters in the anime. In fact, the protagonists experience defeat on numerous occasions, creating much more tension when the fighting starts. Nen is also introduced in the anime, which could be considered a superpower to the likes of Chakra or Devil Fruits, or the famous Ki from Dragon Ball.

What makes Nen interesting is the endless variety within. What however stands out, which in turn makes Hunter x Hunter somewhat unique, is that the battles are not solely dependent on raw power: intellectual cunning is heavily relied on. It ultimately proposes what true strength really means: power? Intelligence? Speaking of Nen and power ups, the anime sadly suffers some issues, affecting in particular some rules introduced with regards to Nen and its abilities, which was a rather big drawback. This was especially the case when the story was nearing its conclusion, having managed to create an atmosphere where stakes were high, Nen could suddenly be used to obtain ridiculous amount of power, leaving audiences thinking why all the other characters (antagonists in particular) didn't do the same.

~Characters~

The story of Hunter x Hunter wouldn't be as well crafted without its numerous characters. First of all, let me begin by mentioning that even though they may come over as typical archetypes, these are well-developed characters, especially the main protagonists. Another thing to note is the fact that most characters are susceptible to death, although positive, sometimes is not well executed. This is the case when some characters are introduced, only to shortly afterwards die without any character progression whatsoever, leaving viewers most of the time indifferent. Maybe another thing to note is the fact that the female cast takes a background position: males are of importance.

The characters that undergo most character development are definitely Gon and Killua. Gon has a cheerful and positive personality, in addition to being egotistical, yet it is clear that he is smart as well; characterised by the use of his fishing rod, he uses strategies that are tied to this, such as sneak attacks, hit and run, you name it, which is quite unconventional. As the story progresses, viewers observe how he grows and get to know his values and personality, seeing his deep affection with life and that of his friends. This deep-rooted loyalty to his friends causes him to cast aside his humanity in one instance. As for Killua, he could be considered the most interesting character, as he undergoes the biggest character development in the whole show. He has a dark past, entangled with his family: he knows no love, nor friendship, he only knows superficial joy. It is apparent that throughout the series he begins to see the bright side of life, in particular that of unconditional friendship, especially during the Chimera arc, where he plays a central role.

The exploration of other characters such as Leorio or Kurapika are very weak in comparison. A lot of potentiallly interesting characters are relaid to the viewers, yet most of them are left unexplored, or are either forgotten. There are several chaarcters that stand out, yet one should be mentioned, and that is Netero, which no one could ever forget. A cheerful old man, yet very strong, both in his conviction and skills, who lives to acquire the ultimate power. Other characters of interest are Knuckle, seen as a typical "delinquent" of the 90's as well as Morel McCarnthy. The Zoldyck family is certainly of interest as well, as these are composed of a great variety of interesting characters, and will play important roles in the events to come.

Where the anime really shines character wise is in its villains. The villains as a whole can be described as varied, with motives and values. Almost every single one of them is fantastically fleshed out, caring for their companions, which is so rare to see in shōnen counterparts. As mentioned earlier, the anime proposes to not categorise people into evil or good, which can be appreciated through the phantom troupe, which may seem at first as remorseless killers. This is however clearly visible are the chimera ants, as these may seem "evil" for humanity, yet these only act according to nature, which in turn draws parallels with how humans treat other species. In addition, the story often focuses on these characters, rather than the main protagonists who at times take supporting roles, carefully showing the viewer their personalities, as well as developing them through the numerous situations and own struggles with their beliefs. This is especially apparent in both the Yorkshin and Chimera Ant arcs. Villains of note are: Hisoka, the crazy battle hungry clown, the phantom troupe and its respective members, as well as the numerous members of the chimera ants.

~Animation and sound~

While the characters design can be seen as childish and may be a drawback for some, it has a great distinctive cast of characters, which is a huge bonus. This is in addition to the different unimportant characters that have distinctive designs as well. It must be mentioned that some character's design is lacking, in the sense that those are nearly exact copies of iconic characters such as Cell from Dragon Ball. Speaking of animation, it is done by the studio Madhouse. It is very fluid, in addition to its combat scenes, as well as correctly conveying the emotional states of the characters through detailed facial expressions. Backgrounds are well drawn and varied, often befitting of the setting.

The voice actors performed their roles well, easily conveying the personalities of each different character. What however stands out is its soundtrack, which is varied and suited the atmosphere it is trying to portray: drums, electric guitar, simple sounds, orchestra, there is really a lot of variety. It must be noted that some of these are either overused or wrongly implemented in some situations.

~Enjoyment~

Hunter x Hunter was overall a fantastic experience, with its gripping storyline, characters and soundtracks. Although the story was very gripping, it also had its share of flaws, and some big ones at that, especially when nearing its conclusion. The interactions with the cast are smart and never dragged out either. Furthermore, it is interesting to see how many of its ideas were implemented later on in series such as Naruto for example. Nevertheless, the well paced narrative, well fleshed out villains and its unorthodox approach to its execution, alongside with its psychological aspects, make it easily one of the most entertaining shōnens out there, which in turn made it very easy to watch a lot of episodes in a session. Hunter x Hunter is highly recommended to anyone who likes shōnens. At face value it seems like it's targeted to younger audiences, yet the underlying depth to the characters/story will only be appreciated by older audiences.

Thank you for reading.

-Special thanks to the fellow user OnTheShore for proofreading and pointing out mistakes made.

I never gave Hunter x Hunter more than a passing glance previously. The large episode count, uninteresting story description, and silly looking character designs put me off from watching the show. However, after finally taking the plunge into this series after being given a recommendation, I’m so glad that I watched it. I would have missed out on a true gem of an anime otherwise.

The anime follows the story of Gon Freecs, a twelve year old boy who decides to take the challenging and highly dangerous Hunter Exam in order to become a Hunter. Those who pass the exam receive a Hunter License which ... gives the owner special privileges and status. Gon’s personal goal for clearing the exam is not to get all of the superficial perks of being a Hunter but to be able to someday reunite with his father, who is a Hunter and left Gon at a young age. On his journey, Gon meets both friends and foes and faces various challenges. The story, admittedly, does not sound especially enticing. However, Gon’s journey is filled with twists and turns and often betrays expectations in the best of ways. I found that events often did not play out as I would have expected, but the way they unfolded felt very natural and well written.

The anime covers seven story arcs, with a trend of an alternation between serious arcs and lighter, more training oriented arcs. The story is one of the strongest points of the show; the writing at the show’s worst is better than that of other shows at their best. One of the later arcs in the show is noticeably darker than the rest and is one of my favorites with regard to story and writing, touching on a variety of themes and ideas that provide some good food for thought. As a side note, the heavy narration during this particular arc seems to be a point of contention among fans; I personally found it to be an interesting method of storytelling, but I could understand why some would not enjoy it. I found the fight scenes of Hunter x Hunter to be another exceptionally notable point regarding the quality of writing. Rarely are fights based around just brute force strength and visuals. Instead, the fights are incredibly enjoyable because of the complex strategies employed by those who are in combat.

The main characters of the show are Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio. Gon is upbeat and cheerful with a strong sense of determination, and Killua acts as sort of a foil to Gon, being generally positive while staying more grounded to reality than Gon. Kurapika is an intelligent youth who is out for revenge against those who committed atrocities against his clan, and Leorio is the silly yet charismatic guy, serving as comic relief at times. Of these characters, Gon and Killua, being those that receive the most screen time, get the most character development. Killua, through his friendship with and experiences with Gon, opens up and becomes a less cold individual. Gon has some interesting character development in the latter part of the show, as he begins to face situations that his boundless determination and optimism cannot fix.

The villains in this show are great, with personalities ranging from calm and collected to quite insane, and I would say that they are more interesting than the protagonists. They are hardly what I would call generic, for the most part, and have distinctive characteristics which make them intriguing characters to follow. The villains are also presented in a way that makes them feel like true threats to the protagonists rather than simple obstacles in the story.

The art and animation in Hunter x Hunter is nothing short of phenomenal. Madhouse did an excellent job with this show; the animation is fluid, especially during fights, and the art is crisp and beautiful. The fact that this high standard of quality is kept throughout the entire show is especially admirable. The actual character designs might not be appealing to some, but looking past that it is hard to deny the quality of this show on a visual level. If nothing else, this show is a treat for the eyes.

I have less praise for the music. The sound track is decent overall, with some excellent orchestral tracks in the mix. However, I felt that some tracks were used far too often to the point where I would occasionally get irritated by some of the music. I feel that an increase in the variety of music used would have benefited the show. Also, the opening theme, featuring two sets of lyrics, is the same throughout the entire show. Departure is a good song, but I think it would have been nice to have different songs for the different arcs. The upbeat nature of the opening doesn’t quite suit the tone of the darker arcs in the show.

I wouldn’t call this show perfect, but it does so many things so well throughout its 148 episode run with nary a drop in overall quality that I cannot help but be amazed. If you feel hesitant about starting this show because of the art, length, or other petty matter as I was, consider giving it a chance. Keep an open mind, and you might find yourself liking it much more than you expected, as I did.