Story-There is not one person who has grazed the story of Hunter x Hunter that has watched it and said "I hate this anime". This may surprise some of you who have only seen the opening and maybe watched the first episode.
From first watch, and after watching the first four episodes, this anime may seem to feel like any other shonen: You've got the main male character who is goofy and underestimated but is really powerful. You've got the adventure and the search to become something more powerful (the "Gotta Catch em All" syndrome). And, at first, it seems the main character can do no wrong.
There are some things we just expect from shonen. And there are some things about Hunter x Hunter that can remind you of other shonens.
But there are far greater differences between this anime and other shonens. I would even compare it to Seinen if the episodes didn't carry an element of youth (not the kind of youth people would expect though).
If you are someone that is open to main characters who are kids and you're looking for a happy, light adventure story, stop this anime after episode 4. If you are looking for something deeper, something horrific, and something that jerks your heart strings, KEEP WATCHING.
You may think I'm saying that Hunter x Hunter offers something for everyone. Really and truly, it doesn't. But it does happen to draw in a few suckers who are looking for something light and who have never watched a horror in their life only to destroy their dreams.
It is no wonder why this version of the anime doesn't have the strongest fanbase. It doesn't have any fan service (no real love story) and it is very close to the manga in its adaptation. Shouldn't these things make it popular? Well, at first glance, Hunter x Hunter seems like all the others. Closed-minded people will write it off before it even gets past episode 1 because it seems like such a cliche anime, with the upbeat opening and the young kids hopping and skipping everywhere.
But trust me. It is not what it seems.
For lovers of shonen, this may not feel as fun for them. It doesn't deliver the same way most shonens do. In most shonens, the main character's goal is to be the master of some sort or to get revenge or avenge someone else. Therefore, fighting is usually a consistent theme in most shonen (Though I'd question Princess Tutu). But in this shonen, the main character's goal was not to become a master in any way. He was only trying to find his father. Thus, fighting was only an asset to achieving what he wanted, but not mandatory. The story was focused on teaching Gon the realities of being a hunter and the truth about the way his father lived, who was also a hunter.
(From the synopsis, you might not know just how deep and scary this story is. This story put me right back into the horror genre I was trying to avoid. It feels like the genre follows me like a plague.)
The first arc focuses on this Hunter Exam, where Gon meets many of his friends throughout the series.
The rest of the arcs are deeper and more involved. I can't really get into detail about them because I don't want to give too much away. It would be hard to describe them without giving too much away and I want you readers to really enjoy this anime. It's worth it. Trust me, you'll stay up late trying to stuff 90 episodes into one day.
The arcs include: The Hunter exam arc, the Zoldyc Family arc, the Heavens Arena Arc, Yorknew City Arc, Greed Island Arc, Chimera Ant Arc, and the 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc. There is supposed to be one more arc but the creator has gone on a hiatus. He goes on hiatus several times throughout the manga and anime runs. The newest arc is supposedly called the Dark Continent Arc.
Every arc is different which makes it anything but repetitive, unlike most shonen.
The lightest arc is obviously the Heavens Arena arc. The deepest and darkest is the Chimera Ant arc, though I found Yorknew City to be a close second.
This anime is a mixture of Dragonball Z and Attack on Titan as far as story goes. I really didn't come in expecting much of anything in particular, but I was told to expect the anime to get darker. But I did not expect it to get as dark as it got.
But you know, I've seen worse. Shonen anime isn't on the level of other horror genres. The themes of friendship and the feeling that the main character will save the day somehow makes this anime one step away from being a like horror genres I've watched, especially in Seinen. (Sometimes they can be so horrific for just no reason. La Chavelier D'Eon did it for me. That completely took me out of the horror genre.)
For an anime that is 148 episodes long, not one episode feels out of place, unnecessary, or dragging. In fact, the pacing of this anime is smooth and even throughout, surprisingly. I found myself wanting more, feeling like the anime was too short! 148 episodes really isn't enough! This anime has a way of making the viewer want to know what happens next because most of us know we will get the answers we want in the next episode. It doesn't waste time getting to the juicy stuff. The story is engaging throughout, covering many different emotions from the viewer: anger, sadness, happiness, fear, platonic love, and overall contentment.
What makes this anime different from other shonen is that it doesn't have any fan service or any episodes that are non-cannon. In other words, no "filler" episodes. Surprising for an 148 episode anime, right?
The story takes place in many places according to the arc. This is an adventure story, so obviously the main character never stays in one place. The main character is from Whale Island, a small island with a humble village. But it is not the only place we see more than once, so it makes the adventure refreshing and puts the animation to good use.
Characters-The main character is Gon, a rustic but flexible boy who is determined to be a hunter and find his father who abandoned him shortly after he was born. Though this character is the main character, he is not always the main focus throughout every arc. That makes him different from other shonen anime characters.
There are four other main supporting characters: Killua, his best friend from a family of assassins, Kurapika, his friend from the Kurta Clan, a clan of people with violet eyes, and Leorio, a young man who looks way too old and has a desire to be a doctor.
The characters are nothing particularly special. They are the typical characters you'd find in anime. Gon is the over-optimistic, honest boy who is super strong. Killua and Kurapika carry on Tsundere traits and make up for where the other is absent. Leorio is the character that provides comic relief (he reminds me of Kogoro Mouri from Detective Conan).
However, all characters show evolution, even if the evolution is small. Though they may be typical, things happen to them that test their personalities. Despite the fact that Gon is typical of most shonen, for example, his simple personality often has serious consequences throughout the anime. He is not as perfect as other shonen anime characters. Gon has moments where he loses and there is nothing he can do about it. He has moments where he is not strong enough to fight, where someone else wins where he fails. There are those in this anime that ARE stronger than him. And that is what makes his character so unbelievably tolerable for viewers who would normally despise such characters. It is that little slice of life that brings a wide range of fans to the anime.
(This anime has a way of making up for the weaknesses in most shonen anime.)
Many characters are introduced throughout every arc. Many of them become very important throughout the adventure. But just because they are friends of the main character, super strong, or important to the story doesn't mean they won't die. That's right. It doesn't mean they won't die...for good, too. Often times, things happen to characters in this anime that Gon, the main character, can never save.
It's best for the viewers not to become too attached to characters in this anime. You never know which cool character will be killed next, and sometimes in the most gruesome way. At the end of this anime, you will never smile again.
Still, it's so hard NOT to become attached, and that brings me to this anime's greatest let-downs: character background development and the usage of characters.
Some of the characters are treated as if they are expendable. Some characters are designed to show off awesome abilities and yet they fail to deliver, or some are put out there to be more important than they end up being. Two examples would be Baise and Pokkle. The female characters, as usual, showed the least evolution.
Still, at least the female characters were actually powerful and cool...That's more than I can say about other shonen anime.
Leorio, who is supposed to be considered one of the main characters, showed the least evolution, and ended up being a one-dimensional character. His evolution was worse than the characters who showed no relation to the main character.
And I understand this story is about Gon's father, but they copped out when it came to revealing information about Gon's mother, which could've been useful to his overall development.
Lastly, let me get down to the villains. Oooh, the juicy villains. Generally, there was a new antagonist every arc. The main antagonist, who seems to show up in most arcs, is Hisoka. Yea, he's a creep. Some of you might even think of him as a fruitcake, but I think that only adds to the fact that his overall presence is taboo. There is a lot more given to him than the Hunter Exam arc, however, his overall backstory wasn't developed enough. He is another character that I wished was elaborated on.
The most well-developed villain was the Chimera Ant King. He was from the most intense arc in the whole series and really his presence is unseen in shonen anime. Still, I wanted to know a little about his life "before" he was born, which could've been useful in the arc. You'd need to watch the series to know what I really mean.
Then there is the Phantom Troupe which inspired a Hunter x Hunter movie outside of the series. The troupe consists of a collection of merciless thieves. Really cool characters with awesome powers, but again, no real emphasis on their backgrounds.
Despite all of the things I wished were elaborated on, the characters were developed enough. It's hard not to understand or connect with the characters. Each character served their purpose in each arc, which was all that was needed to keep the story flowing. The story had a power all its own. The viewers are left valuing characters even stronger because so many could be lost within one episode, even characters that were amazing. Any character that was unimportant didn't last too long. Even some of the lead characters often had moments where they were excluded from the entirety of an arc if they were not considered important. But there wasn't one character that was just garbage. Still, some characters would've been a lot more interesting had their pasts been elaborated on.
The fact some characters weren't elaborated on within this series doesn't take away from the anime at all. In fact, it just adds to the anime's appeal. The anime has plenty of room to elaborate on characters that it didn't so far. The rumor is that the manga artist is just on a temporary hiatus. Who knows what the next couple of arcs or episodes will reveal. There is so much that can be worked into Hunter x Hunter without it ever really feeling like it's dragging on. It just has that feeling. It feels like the adventure can never truly end. The way the story is set up makes it feel like the main character will always have an adventure and will always meet people. And I'm okay with that, unlike with animes like Pokemon, Detective Conan, DragonBall Z, and even Naruto. This anime truly can never get old, really. I guess because no arc is the same as the last. There is nothing repetitive about this anime. There is just so much to explore with the hunters, there is no possible way it can truly run out of ammunition.So, I'm not too disappointed.
Still, there are some characters I really hope to learn more about in the future.
The 1999 version was better at developing the characters, but it's not as close to the manga. And that is a must for me.
Music-The musical scores are epic. Much of the instrumentals really capture the sense of adventure you might feel in the anime. However, the opening song, which is consistent throughout the series, is so upbeat it seems to hide the darkness of the story. But actually, that is exactly why this opening is the best.
The ending songs vary according to the arc and better fits with the arc it ends to.
Creator and Inspiration-The writer and illustrator of Hunter x Hunter, Yoshihiro Togashi, also wrote and illustrated YuYu Hakusho (for those of you who remember that anime; it's good, too) and Level E (also really good, but underrated). He's married to the woman who created Sailor Moon.
Hunter x Hunter, the original manga and anime, were released in 1998.
The artist had a hobby of collecting all sorts of objects and so wanted to make an anime that involved collecting. The name "Hunter x Hunter" was inspired from the Japanese show Downtown where the hosts of the popular variety show often repeated words for comedy.
The birth of the artist's first son influenced much of his work regarding Gon.
The writer/author of the series is very hard on his work, often apologizing for his "poor artwork.". Because he doesn't hardly have any assistance with his work, he doesn't have anyone to finish for him when things come up in his life. He goes on several hiatuses for long extended periods of time. He went on hiatus in 2012, came back in 2014, and then went on hiatus two months after returning.
Dragonball Z was actually one of the inspirations behind much of the elements in Hunter x Hunter. It was the popular anime at the time.
One obvious character that is inspired from a creature in DBZ is the Chimera Ant King. The Chimera Ant King was inspired from Cell from Dragonball Z. He has the stinger on his tail, the green-ish body, and the black finger-nail polish. He also has an affinity for games, just like Cell did (remember the Cell games?). The King is also some higher cellular form that was meant to be invincible, just like Cell.
Animation-The animation is well-drawn. The details, like the forests, bodies of water, and creatures, all show lushness. The coloring captures the tone of the anime well, from the lighter moments to the darkest moments. Everything is felt, unlike in the 1999 version where everything felt colorless and lifeless.
Adaptations-There are two anime adaptations of the Hunter x hunter manga. There is a 1999 version and a 2011 version of this anime. Of the two, most fans say the 1999 version was darker, but it was not as true to the manga as the 2011 anime was. I feel that the 2011 version is darker in content, even though the coloring is brighter. I advise you watch the 2011 version first and if you feel like you just can't get enough, head on over to the 1999 version. Of the two, I prefer the 2011 version. I like adaptations that are closer to the original story. Then we can see the true artist's intentions.
Honestly, I haven't seen all of the 1999 version, but this review is mostly for the 2011 version. But so far based on what I've seen, there are significant differences:
1) The 1999 version drags on more than the 2011 version. The 2011 version has a quicker pace and jumps right into the action each arc.
2) The 2011 version follows the manga closer than the 1999 version.
3) The animation in the 2011 version is obviously more up-to-date but the 1999 version gives a feeling of nostalgia.
4) The 1999 version is darker. I suppose it's because the visuals are not as lush as they are in the 2011 version. The 1999 version also has darker themes that come from the fillers and the humor is edgier. But in content, the 2011 version is actually less censored despite what fans say. It also is less humorous than the 1999 version, believe it or not, and is sadder and more sentimental, making it feel more serious. Some feel like they can take the 1999 version more seriously because the main character isn't as righteous, but he is more of a comedian than in the 2011 version
http://www.reddit.com/r/HunterXHunter/comments/1rxhwh/censorship_in_the_1999_anime_vs_censorship_in_the/
5) The 2011 version actually covers all the arcs that have currently been created, whereas the 1999 version ended after the Yorknew City arc and then there are some OVAs about Greed Island. It is missing one of the deepest arcs in the series, the Chimera Ant arc.
6) The 1999 version has stronger character development than the 2011 version.
Overall, I think this anime was fantastic. I recommend this anime to all anime lovers, though I know many who are interested in the Shoujo or Shonen genre may not be able to handle all of the gore and atypical endings. Still, it has a really good story and the characters are interesting. I doubt this anime could disappoint any viewers...Unless, you're a Negative Nancy about everything.
I give this anime a 9.5/10. It actually may deserve a 10 out of 10, but the simplicity of the characters don't make the characters stand out the best out of other shonen anime. I was also disturbed about the abandonment of many characters. It left me feeling a bit empty, like there were holes left untouched in the story. I really hope they clean this up in future arcs. I would like many characters, especially the ones considered important, to be touched on a little more.
