I went for it because it was highly recommended by friends and highly rated. The show has a lot of strengths, but its length and pacing are huge problems that ruined it for me.
Characters: 9
Throughout the show, the majority of the characters are very well rounded.
The main characters are very good, but where the show really shines is with the villains. Their motives, their plotting, their interactions with the MCs. Every move they make draws you in. Each of the villains is fresh and interesting, a big plus for this show.
Story: 8
This show usually implements a character-driven plot, and it turns out very well.
Character driven writing is widely considered the most realistic and entertaining, albeit difficult, method. This means that the situations the characters find themselves in are not put there because they sound cool, but are the natural falling out of the characters' interactions and motives.
Since the show has strong characters, this makes for a series of very good story arcs.
Length: 2
Well, at least the arcs' synopses would sound great, but in reality it's a hyperextended pile of disappointment.
This is where the Hunter x Hunter's biggest flaw comes into play. The creators seem to have had an episode quota to meet. Rather than tight, action-packed episodes that take you for an immersive ride, you end up slogging through solid episodes of exposition, or realizing that the 20 minute episode you just watched could have been handled in 5 or 10 minutes and been more entertaining. This results in the big impact scenes being too isolated to have the intended impact. You feel excited, or sad, or whatever, but you're left with the impression that it should have been so much more.
Unfortunately, you can't just skip episodes, because each one has some important content and a lot of wasted time. Thinking back over the amount of plot and character that happens in Hunter x Hunter, it's very comparable to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Thus, I think I would have had a much better time with this show if it had been a more appropriate 60 to 70 episodes.
Art and Animation: 9
The animation is great, nothing much to say here.
Sound: 7
The sound was a bit of a weak point in two ways: lack of music variety, and everyone's "intense" voice.
I won't hate on the music too much. The songs themselves were great, especially the themes for the different villains. The songs just get old if you binge the show, which I did for part of it.
The intense voices are a bit worse though. Whenever anyone gets upset they have a super-typical yelling voice that they all do. It gets really old, and they do it in a lot of situations where a normal voice would have been better.
Enjoyment: 5
There were a lot of good moments, but not enough for 148 episodes.
Looking back, there were a lot of really good moments in this show, which makes me question my low score here. However, the incredible number of "normal" episodes where nothing remarkable happens were not very enjoyable. It seems like they thought that the most important ingredient in a good finale is a 12-episode long fight.
(I set Enjoyment at 3 on the rating scale to take my Length critique into account.)
Overall: 6
six is an average score, but this isn't an average show. It is a show that should have been exceptional but decided to drag on forever and kill the excitement. I really loved the good moments in this show. I actually almost cried a couple times. The thing is that I should have been weeping at those scenes but they got the pacing so wrong.
I would not take the time to watch this show again, and I cannot, sadly recommend it for a first time.
