And boy am I glad I gave this shounen a chance.
Despite its length, I think that this show's strongest features are the variety in the individual arcs as well as the depth the characters are portrayed. I could never really get bored with this show, since it felt like I was watching a different show each the time the arcs shifted. I can be watching a light-hearted story about the journey of a young boy searching for his father and meeting new friends along the way, then later shift to watching a dark sci-fi show about ants devouring people. Along with the variety of arcs, the character development and the relationships between them, allows for the viewer to really "care" about them and invest time in getting to know their story and following through how the characters decide to pull through their issues.
I expected the animation quality to decline after a while, but the animation was spot-on every single episode so I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed that the quality was consistent. The colors are vibrant and the fight scenes play out smoothly for an excellent viewing experience.
Lastly, although the manga is incomplete, the anime ends itself without cutting off at some random point in the show where you feel like you just watched a hundred-some episodes and you're like... what the heck?! It finishes itself off at a point where it feels satisfying to the viewer and most people I think would definitely not feel disappointed after investing themselves in 148 episodes.
Overall, this is probably the most mature and well-written shounen out there. It takes a few episodes to get into it (I had to convince myself to stop cringing at Gon's short shorts), but once you're there you'll be glad you got pulled in. I'm so sad that I can't currently find another anime to replace this hole in my heart after completing Hunter X Hunter.
