Review of Hunter x Hunter
I came to know the original version of HxH years ago. At first, the only thing I cared about in the series was the Hunter exam. I just wanted to know what kind of test it was so I tried watching it and surprisingly, I loved both the story and the characters after a few episodes. Years later, I was delighted when I heard about the reboot and from start to finish, Hunter x Hunter (2011) doesn't disappoint. The story starts with Gon, a 12-year-old boy who sets out on a journey to find his father and his first step is to become a Hunter. AHunter is an individual who has enough luck and talent to pass the Hunter exam. A Hunter specializes in something, can be practically anything, you name it. A Hunter lives by a power system called Nen in a universe that cleverly reflects the dark side of our real world.
Essentially, being a Hunter isn't special but when it's combined with a well-designed power system and universe, it means infinite possibilities and I have to say Yoshihiro Togashi brilliantly executes that.
This series has all shounen elements but doesn't follow generic shounen patterns. It begins simply but gradually gets more complex and very unpredictable. The journey of the protagonist and his friends to achieve their goals is as reasonable and realistic as it can get. It has many details, takes time and consists of both success and failure. The MCs don't get the privilege of having special powers or suddenly getting stronger for no reason. They train and evolve as the story progresses. On the other hand, the antagonists don't just act out of pure evil. Their reasons are justifiable from different perspectives.
HxH has 7 arcs. Each one is related but has its own conflict and uniqueness. My personal favorite is the Yorknew arc from episode 39-58. After each arc, the concept of Hunter is explored bit by bit and you will keep getting a bigger picture of the whole Hunter universe. The atmosphere varies from a light-hearted shounen to one of the darkest seinen to fit each arc so it keeps things fresh and intriguing. Each fight is mostly strategic-based and relatively short. It's clever and never defies the logic of Nen.
Apart from the story, the best thing about the series is the characters. For me, characters make or break the show and HxH characters are top-notch. They really make the series shine.
Most, if not, all characters and their relationships are realistic because they are imperfect. Not only the MCs, many supporting characters have also undergone a substantial amount of development through the course of the series. Most of them are round characters with distinctive personalities, appearances, backgrounds, powers, ambitions and the ability to think. Their actions are driven by their own judgment as an individual, not what the plot requires them to do so it's very easy to sympathize with them, even the antagonists.
In terms of production, HxH has a unique art style with great and very consistent animation for a series that has over 100 episodes. The pacing is satisfying because there are no fillers at all. Voice actors and actresses are suitable for each character. OPs, EDs and OSTs are good even if there is only one opening song.
As for the negatives, there isn't a major problem in the series and all the minor ones i.e. change of narration style and slow pacing in 6th arc, repetitive op song, the long absence of a character, etc. didn't bother me as much. If anything, I think the only reason you shouldn't watch HxH now is because the manga is still ongoing. Despite a somewhat satisfying conclusion, you could call these 148 episodes a season one and honestly, you will not get a season two, not anytime soon considering the hiatus history of Togashi.
All in all, Hunter x Hunter (2011) exceeds all my expectations. I would recommend this series to anyone, especially a shounen fan because I think it's one of the very few anime that is truly remarkable, well-executed and very enjoyable. Watch it and you will understand why this anime deserves its rank.