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.
