The art clearly is not why people love the manga. Togashi *can* draw, but he just can't seem to be thaaaat bothered to put in that extra effort to polish up spreads most of the time. However, from the storytelling point, there are some beautiful dramatic build-ups and climaxes that kept me up at night reading until my eyes fell off the bone. I loved how the York New Arc built tension and unfurled itself. The Chimera Ants Arc was grandiose and its climax brought me to tears. But following such an ambitious arc, the manga goes downhill and all I can think is "How did you think that would EVER be a good idea?!". Attempts at gearing the plot towards being some sort of political thriller are complete failures due to bad storytelling and pacing. What could have been fun 'race for the prize' type plots reminiscent of the Hunter Exam and York New arcs end up being so weirdly drawn out, convoluted, and over-explained that they're just painful to read.
All up until the Chimera Ant, you have moments of brilliance interspersed with fine entertaining moments. Following that, I wouldn't bother to read unless you like to make it a point to complete the mangas you start.
It's clear that Togashi would have benefitted from a creative partnership with a good editor who's not afraid to say 'no' when he clearly decided to go on a tangent and advise on how to redirect the plot. However, I have a feeling that Togashi just did not and still does not have it in him to go through rounds of story developments given his ill health and he's trying to deliver what he can and personally enjoys. As a fan of the manga, I'll follow the man into his convoluted antics, but I won't preach at you to do the same.
It's an 8/10 in my heart but really, it's a 6/10 only thanks to some compelling characters and the few brilliant moments that in real terms maybe represent only 40% of the manga.
