Ok, so... just getting to the point was not a major fan of HxH, it was fine, but there really wasn't a single thing that DBZ didn't do better so far as I could tell.
In fact, one character whose moves are based on arcane finance and accounting rules such as compound interest, which is like whoa! I mean I think HxH is almost like a comedy in some ways not so much like a fighting thing in Dragon Ball Z, but this seemed to go far off into an almost parody direction basically.
Anyway, most of the characters in HxH are jerks. Meruem? Jerk. The Phantom Troupe? All jerks. Gon's dad? Seems like a jerk. Everyone in HxH is just kind of this reckless jerk and they don't really seem to care who they hurt, just as long as they get to fight.
It's kinda similar to Death Note, in many ways, there is the give and take, back and forth, ripsaw and such that you have there, but also as in the review with Death Note it's missing that extra-intense kind of rage really and chaos of Dragon Ball Z that made it so unique.
Instead, it's kind of replaced with this sort of mellowed out kind of genuine feeling but nonetheless not quite as exciting sentiment. There would of been a lot more to say about HxH if it came prior to DBZ, but as was not the case can only simply say it is simply like a very, very lite version of DBZ.
On the positive side, though, some of the characters could be sort of fun at times like Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon.
I think in some ways Killua is kind of the character that made HxH just not fun for me, it was really terrible how he would just assassinate people in the anime and not really feel anything about it. Gon was ok I think but Killua I just couldn't really get behind it at all in the end.
I think HxH is like that character that is super intense and knowledgeable about all kinds of things, but I can't help but think they were often that way because they were so afraid of things, what it was I can't say... but it just felt like there was a fear about the world or things that kept them in a state of great distress and such.
I mean, I feel like HxH could be realllly funny and engaging but it feels kind of stressed out dealing with certain things, I don't know, I feel like I should like it more or something but it just seems kind of troubled..
I didn't think HxH was bad really, but they really should have a nicer side to them or find one somewhere!
There is also a sense of emptiness that pervades other aspects of the anime, you don't ever get to see Gon's parents really for more than a few seconds or as part of a flashback. It's such an interesting comparison to DBZ also where Gohan and so on are such integral parts of the story...
Finally, there is the earlier version of HxH (96 or 97 I believe?) which based on the trailer and such looks quite a bit better.
Overall, Hunter X Hunter just felt pretty empty and distressing. So, a 6.
