Hunter x Hunter

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Before beginning this review, I will like to point out that the intention of this review is not to trigger Hunter X Hunter (HxH for short)fans or let them feel like I'm attacking them or their intelligence since that is basically the trend in most reviews these days. Most reviews are made with the intention to 'trigger' a reaction out of fans by criticizing a series to the point that you are telling fans that they are basically dumb for liking a particular series.

This review is simply showing you guys another perspective since HxH fans aren't used to seeing much criticism when it comes to this series. Now, shall we begin?

Hxh is a series that I once loved, the anime that is, now after finishing the anime I went into the manga and quickly realise a problem this series has had in the anime, but now, it was more apparent in the manga. The problem is the absurd amount of dialogue and monologue within it that makes it ridiculous, the author of HxH decided that every single character is going to have long monologue and dialogue, but it's even worse when the characters are just redshirts.

The latest arc is especially guilty of this, basically, we as the reader are forced to see the point of view of literally every single character in this arc; the guards of the Prince's, the Prince's, guards of a Prince stalking another Prince, people associated to a Prince, people keeping an eye on another Prince, the Mafia Bosses, Hunters, the guards of the Mafia Bosses, the people from branch families, all of the underlings of the people from branch families as well, and we can go on and on — I wouldn't be surprised if we start getting the point of view from the trees, cats, dogs and basically everything else. You get the point. This is not interesting at all and it's just a chore to read. Sure you can say that he is amazing for giving redshirts their moments and making them feel important, but, truth be told, redshirts will always be redshirts! You can give them a few dialogues or give them a purpose later on without watering down the series quality by having them talk about stuff, we as the readers, are already aware of. I also saw the Viz translation, and it's a bit better, but still, its too dialogue heavy and unnecessary — just pointing that out before someone says it is Mangastream's fault, btw this is wall x text the manga.

Togashi is like a student that is writing an essay that should be 800 words in length and thinks that writing a 2000 word essay instead will impress the teacher. That is basically how a lot of the fans are behaving as well, I've seen HxH fans praising the series because it has so many dialogues and saying how long it took them to read a single chapter, like it was some type of accomplishment, while other HxH fans are saying they feel dumb because they are not understanding the plot. The truth is, the reason why some people are having difficulty in understanding the plot is because Togashi, as a writer, is failing to express his work to his readers properly, because all he is doing is throwing dialogue and monologue at his fans and telling them that they should figure out his mess, I'm not sure how the editor even approve these chapters. If this was a monthly manga then that could be an excuse to why some fans are forgetting vital points, but it's a weekly series which means it should be easier to follow and remember. Togashi is also lacking in the "show but not tell" type of storytelling, he would rather lazily tell the audience every tiny detail, even the irrelevant ones.

I'm sure Togashi has planned out everything in this arc and that he knows what he is doing, but he is not executing it properly if half of his fans feel like it is a chore to read his manga, it just means he is not writing this arc in a creative way. At the end of the day, its the author's story, but he is writing his story to his fans, and if his fans are not liking it, something is clearly wrong. Togashi may have a brilliant idea, but if he is not executing it properly then it is all a waste.

This manga overall is a chore to read and it is boring for me personally, the characters for HxH has always been decent for me, I never had a problem with the characters, I don't think they are anything special but at the same time, I don't think they are bad. I don't like the art style because it is drawn in a generic style that I, personally don't like, but its even worst when it is not drawn properly by Togashi. In saying that, the art really doesn't affect my enjoyment that much, since there isn't much art, to begin with.

Overall, this manga is a 4/10, and I don't feel like Togashi is taking advantage of his imagination. I know he can do way better than this, and perhaps this series will be a bit more bearable to watch when it's animated, whenever that is.

To people that are still enjoying this series, more power to you, but at least try to understand why some peoples are not enjoying it, without talking down on them or challenging their intelligence, because I've seen that a lot.

As a university student, reading HxH feels like reading a school textbook, the only purpose is for you to temporarily memorize information just to pass a test. HxH is at the borderline of a school textbook than a fictional book, which basically sums up how I currently feel for this series, and I'm having a lot of doubt that my opinion will ever change.

Thanks for reading if you were able to reach this far.

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Welcome to the world of Hunter X Hunter where people pursue to become Hunters. But to become one, one must undergo the Hunter Exam. Thousands of people participate in this exam. Among them is a kid name Gon Freecs who longs to meet his father, a great hunter, but in order to do so, he must become a great Hunter and follow his footsteps. Along the way, he meets Killua, a kid whose family is famous for being assassins, Kurapika, a kind and loyal friend but at times reckless due to his revenge motive and Leorio, a brash man who aims to be a successful Hunter specializing in medical treatments.

Yoshihiro Togashi is the same guy who wrote the 1994 hit YuYu Hakusho, a successful long running shounen. And this manga is no exception.

Nearly all long-running shounens throughout anime history has already been labeled tedious, dull and unimaginative. Without fail, HxH will relieve you of that perspective.

Hxh simply has it all. Action, check. Pragmatic characters, check. Psychological contest, check. It can be a psychological thriller or an action-packed manga. Either way, HxH is superbly crafted.

The anime played out with touches of pathos and humor creating a superb atmosphere. The manga provided numerous slap-stick comedies to lighten the mood a little. But when its serious, its serious. The intensity of HxH cannot be denied.

While it isn't groundbreaking in the concept aspect, the real treat is in the execution. Supernatural abilities aside, this manga undertakes a realistic approach. The little things actually matter from getting adapting your eyes to the dark to increasing efficiency on running, every small thing counts. This results to intense an conflict for both the mind and the muscle during battle's. HxH concentrate's on the adventure aspect more so than the fighting aspect. So dont expect any out-of-this-world "sudden power outbursts" to save the day because HxH wont allow it. And thats one of the many things you'll like bout this manga.
Regardless of this, HxH still proves to be enough to considered an action. The action does play it safe but it is still highly invigorating. It succeeds in keeping many readers on their toes, and often leaves readers with cliffhangers that are big and small.

The rather slow paced scripts are fleshed out with a set of tremendous central and supporting characters. The various other characters and factions involved in playing the manga do not end up seeming flat. They take the time to develop and flesh out even some of incidentally encountered characters appearing only for a chapter even if it would have been easier to simply have them appear for their necessary encounters without giving us any real insight into their personality.
Also character developments are a plus. While Gon remains static, Killua and Kurapika in particular, goes through massive changes throughout the manga .

To some the art is horrible. But I dont think its bad at all. I mean, it isnt amazing but is simply good. Another issue is the amount of text. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to the reader, since HxH will rain you with texts everywhere on the panel. HxH doesnt want to seem miss any explanations and leave some plot holes. It wants to be rational, as much as possible. Incredible sense of detail shows in key points of the story.

Once you reach the Hunter Exams, everything will shift to overdrive. If that arc doesnt interest you in the slightest, I suggest you stop reading it from there as by that time, it should have caught your attention.

This anime is light years ahead of all shounen out there. No shounen anime holds a candle to Hunter X Hunter when it comes to being ardent and scrupulous. Amidst all monotonous shounen that have come out on the heels, HxH was able to crank it up a notch.

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This my favorite manga of all time, so I may be a little biased when it comes to this review. I love every work that Yoshihiro Togashi puts out! I'm not exactly sure what a typical shounen is, so i'll just start by saying that it starts out with a boy named Gon Freecs going on the most challengeing hunt of his life, to find his elusive hunter father. And the story shows his development as a hunter throughout.

Story: 9/10
I give the story a 9 because the first 12 or so volumes had a great story and a lot character devolopment with the four main characters but lately it has had the tendency to exclude Leorio and Kurapika. Just focusing on Gon and Killua. The hiatuses kept it pretty hard to maintain the excitement that I had in the beginning. The chimera ant arc and the current arc seemed dragged out and the chimera ant arc ended unclimactic and extremely depressing. How they get their powers or nen is very original and fits their personalities but at times can be confusing as to what nen type some characters are, i.e. Silva and Zeno. But it seems like Togashi couldn't let go of some powers from Yu Yu Hakusho. such as Karasu's powers-genthru, Rinku's yo yos-killua, so for me it went from a 10 to a 9.

Art: 10/10
I give the art a 10 because even though there isn't a lot of scenery and backgroung stuff like Naruto has at times the characters are very oringinal and the fight scenes are clear and at times shown complex fighting positions that can be difficult to draw even for experienced aritists. Unlike Bleach that at times has like a blur then someones bleeding to death.

Characters: 10/10
If I could give this higher than a 10, I would. This to me is the best part of the manga and why I fell in love with it. The characters are extremely well developed and well drawn. All the protagonists' stories are at least mentioned and have a lot of detail so you understand why they are what they are. The bad guys you fall in love with too. Well, I'm not really sure if Hisoka's really a bad guy. But the delopment of their powers is awesome. It's not like DBZ where people always turn super saiiyan or use the spirit bomb everytime the bad guy seemed unbeatable.

Enjoyment: 9/10
It would have gotten a 10 if not for the several hiatuses that it had.

Overall: 10/10
As I said, it is my favorite manga. The plot seems to be getting back on track. So then I may put another review when it gets going again.

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Most of my points in my HxH 2011 review stand here, so I'll keep this short.

HxH 2011 definitely brought life to the HxH manga, but the manga is still wholesome in its story and its characters. The current arc is in the running to be the best arc of HxH in my opinion.

The only low points for the manga are its artwork and the constant hiatuses. The art can range from scribbles on a page to fantastically drawn creatures and areas that even Miura of Berserk would approve of. And as every HxH fan knows, the hiatuses are the biggest flaw on this great series, as it keeps us from having a complete story for years to come.

Other than that, it's a riveting experience start to finish.

Story: 10/10
Art: 6/10 (really ranges from utter scribbles to quality work)
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 10/10.

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