Hunter x Hunter offers one such story which feels unique and new most of the time.
What did I like about Hunter x Hunter?
_Story [Minor Spoiler] - This show has 2 major arcs other than tournament and training arcs i.e. Yorknew City and Chimera Ant arc, both of which end without the fight we mostly anticipate for. Now that's not something that holds the story back but rather makes the plot much more real and believable and far different from any other similar show. The whole story in general is filled with abstract plot lines and character choices which enhances the story for the audience
_Characters - On the surface level characters do look shallow at first but with time the story does a brilliant job of exploring more of the character flaws which eventually makes the most of its character very human.
_Power System - Hands down one of the best shounen power system. Nen is unique and diverse at the same time. One can almost write a whole book just explaining Nen. Thus most of the fights are exciting and unique despite being confusing at times
_The sense of Danger - People DIE in this series which is somewhat rare with similar shows. I think death is necessary for building tension among the audience and this show has a lot to offer. I mean a ton of people just die during a selection exam.
_Chimera Ant arc [MAJOR SPOILER] - The most compelling and unique arc for any battle shounen I ever came across. Chimera Ants as antagonists are by far one of the best villians in any entertainment media. Also the way this show explores the virtuousness of Chimera Ants and on the other hand, the evils of mankind was a mind-boggling experience to sit through. The whole character arc of Meruem says a lot about how Ants eventually developed some human values with time. On the other hand, despite being the strongest entity, the death of Meruem signifies how evil and wicked humans have become and no one stands a chance against them. This arc contains one of the saddest yet beautiful ending for any battle shounen arc
Where it could have been better? (Here I've mentioned a few aspects which I thought could have been improved)
_Art Style and Character Design - Now this is totally subjective but I find the character designs of this show kind of childish and annoying at times like few Chimera Ants looks like some low-budget mascot which doesn't justify their dark and evil character trait. Even the design of Royal guards and many main characters of this show looks average and flashy for no reason at all. Also, the art style of this show is pretty cartoonish and that's the main reason why I avoided it for so long time. This show has a dark theme and I think a dark gothic art style would have suited much better than the bright-colored cartoonish art.
_Pacing - Again not the worst but could have been improved. For example, the chimera ant arc takes around 40 episodes just to set up the big event which we knew gonna happen after like 20 something episodes which sometimes annoys you as a viewer like you already have some of the biggest threats humanity has ever faced walking around killing people but rather than focusing on them the show somewhat deviates from it and starts some new subplot which has very little to offer to the story or in terms of character development
_Gon's Anger - This show does a great job with certain powerups the character goes through basically there is no ass pull which most of the battle shounen are famous for. Despite that one of the most highlighted scenes of this anime has our MC Gon transforming into something much more powerful just because of his uncontrollable anger which eventually destroys his body. Now the problem with this particular scene is that they never justified the reason behind his anger which eventually led the viewers to not properly connect with the character
Final Thoughts:
I consider this show better than any other modern battle shounen in terms of quality. The story, character motives, and their decision are much more real and human compared to any other show. Although I think the entertainment value could have been improved just by rectifying its pacing issues.
Overall a must watch shounen which offers an engaging plot and some enjoyable characters
