Story: simple, classic, but brilliantly developed complexity as series progresses (9/10)
Gon grew up with his aunt Mito-san, into whose care his father has left him since birth. On a fateful day, Gon realises that his father may still be alive and is desperate to meet him, but there's a small obstacle. His father is very well known and successful as a so-called "hunter", which means that he can be found everywhere and yet nowhere. To at least be able to look for him, he has to become a hunter himself. So Gon sets out on a journey, trying to pass the hunter's exam on the one hand, and finding the scattered clues to his father on the other, like a scavenger hunt. It sounds like a standard shounen pattern: he meets friends and enemies, goes on adventures and becomes stronger. But this anime has more to offer. The plot remains the central focus and the fights do not drift into mindless "beating up". Rather, the fights are the highlight of an arc. Opponents are observed, analysed and lessons are learned from the adventures and mistakes made. If an opponent is stronger, what they learn is used strategically. The so-called "Nen" system of paranormal abilities is also very well thought out. There are a number of rules that allow certain abilities to be learned and improved, but prevent others from being learned.
Characters: A large, varied and well-developed cast (9/10).
Hunter x Hunter scores well in the character category, despite the stereotypical limitations of fighting shounen anime. This is partly due to the variety of different characters, and partly to the fact that even the smaller roles don't make you feel like you're watching cardboard cutouts.
Freecss Gon:
He is good-natured and totally honest, so 100% cliché. But! despite his naivety, he always makes very wise and well thought out decisions throughout the series, without which there would be no progress. Furthermore, his development is very good. He becomes more thoughtful, uses his experience, but remains true to his nature. All in all, a really nice character and a real friend.
Paladiknight Leorio (-san ;-)
It's not often that I get to like the character of a comedian! Leorio is a really funny character and likeable because he is the "normal” guy. A cool dude with whom it would be fun to have a few drinks. A big plus of the show is that his character doesn't get stuck in comedy, but gets developed as well.
Kurapika:
He enters the scene at the same time as Leorio, but his story is by far the most bitter. His motivation is based on one of the deepest feelings a human can be driven to - revenge. In contrast to his calm and balanced nature, his emotional moments, when his senses (eyes) glow fiery, seem like unbridled frenzy. His development is a successful core element around the themes of camaraderie and friendship.
Zoldyck Killua:
He comes across as coolness itself, making him the perfect foil for Gon. As a duo, they are the perfect balance between Jing and Jang, and when they fight and sparks fly, they quickly make up. The way their friendship grows stronger from episode to episode is beautifully portrayed.
Hisoka:
One of the best portrayals of a vicious but charismatic opponent. You will be torn between hating him and being fascinated by him. Hisoka is a charismatic yet imposingly diabolical opponent! He is cunning, shrewd, devious, mean, stubborn and arrogant, making his profile menacingly unpredictable. It is an unfathomable mix of cunning and malevolence that makes people feel threatened. All in all, he is unmistakably unique and a truly well-drawn opponent. There are very few examples of such a convincing portrayal of a serious adversary who is so intriguingly multifaceted.
Hazama Nobunaga [Gen'ei Ryodan]:
The Gen'ei Ryodan is a notorious phantom force whose thirteen members are highly skilled Nen users with different personalities and abilities. Nanbunaga, for example, is authentic and understandable in his friendship with Uvougin; on the other hand, this attitude is rather bizarre for an assassin within the Gen'ei Ryodan. If I were going to review the 2011 remake, I would have chosen Pakunoda's personality, which is also very exciting. All of the members of the Gen'ei Ryodan are varied and intricately designed. Their appearance is always interesting and provides suspense.
Freecss Mito:
Mito-san is a very nice example of how even a minor character who has no great influence on the course of the series has been realised with great attention to detail. I really liked her very believable and successful portrayal.
Visuals: Outdated, but the quality improves as the series progresses and the budget increases (7/10).
Although the character design from the manga by Yoshihiro Togashi is well realised and all the characters have a typical shounen look with nice quirks, the art may put off those who don't like old anime. The colour scheme also tends to be very dark and the animation is a little choppy at times. For viewers accustomed to the CGI standards of today's anime productions, the visuals of the first arc of "Hunter x Hunter (1999)" in particular may be a disappointment. At times, the character sketches are not very well drawn, but the quality of the art improves as the series progresses. Regardless of this weakness, the art style of the 1999 version is more appropriate compared to the 2011 version, as the characters are generally less exaggerated and the mood is, quite appropriately, a little darker.
As with the art, the animation is a little dated, but the quality improves significantly as the series progresses. Despite still using stills and speedlining, the fight scenes have become more detailed and much smoother, although they are still very fast at times. In adapting the manga, Nippon Animation has reduced the explicitness of many violent scenes without compromising the dramatic quality of the fights. As the manga was not finished at the time of production, the series was later continued with OVAs. With the exception of the third OVA, these are of good quality in terms of art and animation. Unfortunately, the third OVA "Final" has a visual quality comparable to the beginning of the main series. Nevertheless, the viewer is presented with a great, colourful and atmospheric anime fantasy world.
Music: Fits the atmosphere well, good OP/EP & VA (8/10).
The background music is very good, fits the mood of the scenes very well and motivates you to keep watching.
The theme songs are
OP 1: "Ohayou" is sung by Keno, is great to listen to and gets the audience in the right mood for the upcoming episode. The animation is very fitting, showing the main characters marching off together to their upcoming adventures.
OP 2: "Taiyou wa Yoru mo Kagayaku" is sung by Wino. Even though it fits into the story arc and the animation and music are good, I couldn't listen to the singing and always skipped it.
ED 1: "Kaze no Uta" is sung by Minako Honda. It is a very emotional arrangement and really beautiful because of the temperament in her voice and performance.
ED 2: "E-jan: Do You Feel Like I Feel?" sung by Nagai Masato. At first you think it sounds weird, but it becomes cool and just happy-rocking.
ED 3: "Hotaru" is again by Nagai Masato, a cool J-Pop track with the above mentioned funny, weird voice.
The dubbing leaves nothing to be desired. The list of seiyû includes many well-known actors, such as Hozumi Gouda [Mr Leorio] or Akiko Kimura [Mito-San]. A great achievement is also the dubbing of Kurapika's voice, which is done by Miyuki Sawashiro and I found it very pleasant due to the good intonation. I also really liked the dialogue direction. The conversations are conducted in a way that is appropriate for the target audience, but still meaningful and well explained.
Hunter x Hunter is a cool fighting shounen anime that I really want to recommend. In terms of story, development, complexity and balance between action and seriousness, it still sets the standard for the genre, regardless of its age.
All in all, this is one of the best shounen series to date. For those who may not like the 1999 series for its visuals, I take the liberty to offer the following alternative. The 2011 remake follows the plot of the original series and the OVAs and goes beyond them with an additional story arc.
Thank you for reading and have fun watching.
