Review of Hunter x Hunter
Spoiler free review! (Some explanation, but most is pretty vague). Hunter x Hunter is one of those animes that is unanimously praised in the anime community. Going into the show, I chose to overlook it’s acclaim, and instead, try to form my own opinion on the show. Often, I find that going into an anime with too high of expectations barely ever turns out well, and that is something I think new Hunter x Hunter watchers should keep in mind. Admittedly, I was nervous to commit to finishing such a long show. I’m an avid 12 episode anime watcher, so this 148 episode long show wasquite different from my usual taste.
Story - 6/10
In most shounen anime I have seen, the premise and story of the show usually trumps all other aspects- Hunter x Hunter is definitely an outlier. The audience is told that in this world, there are these uniquely talented individuals called “Hunters”. What do these hunters do? Well, it’s really not specified. The lack of explanation and ambiguity of the purpose of Hunters in the world persists throughout the entire show. Possibly, this is done so the plot has freedom, and isn’t tied down to strict “rules” of what the hunter can and cannot do. Yet, it still frustrates me that after watching the entire show, I can’t conjure a clear answer to what hunters are.
From arc to arc, the quality of story ranges. There’s certain parts of the show, where I feel it doesn’t want you to think deeply about what’s going on, because if you do, you’ll notice all the plot holes. I felt this was most apparent in the greed island arc, heavens arena arc, and Zoldyck family arc. In my opinion, the green island arc was probably the worst written in the show. Seen as a lighthearted journey, it doesn’t excuse it from having one the most ridiculous plot twists, and overall, the story was all over the place and very unsatisfying by the end. Other than meeting Bisky, not much else was accomplished during this expedition. As for the hunter exam arc it is very mediocre to me, a good introduction nonetheless, but nothing to rave about. As for the hunter exam arc it is very mediocre to me, a good introduction nonetheless, but nothing to rave about.
However, other parts are meticulously crafted, with clear purpose, and satisfying endings. This is where the Yorknew City arc, chimera ant arc, and election arc belong. The Yorknew City arc is by far the best part of the show. An interesting setting, presence of all of the “main characters” (Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio), powerful enemies, and Kurapika’s intention to avenge his clan. This arc truly has everything going for it. If the entirety of Hunter x Hunter was the same quality as the Yorknew City arc, it would be a 10/10 for me.
Also, I would have preferred if the transition between arcs didn't feel so choppy. I enjoy when the story flows seamlessly, but there were a few moments that just felt very unnatural in how quickly the focus of the story changed. I really love when one can tell a story has been planned from beginning to end, and that is evidently not the case for this anime.
Sound - 9/10
Not much to say other than that the Hunter x Hunter soundtrack is amazing. The different themes for each character makes you excited every time you hear that “one song”. As the tone of the episode shifts, the music will always represent that. My only complaint is sometimes I feel the songs can be misused every once in a while. Sometimes, suspense is best built in silence, and not every relatively sad moment needs a cheesy song, indicating that you should cry now. Despite my pickiness, the choice in music definitely enhances the audience's experience and I think it’s neat that I now have an attachment to each song in the soundtrack.
Art - 8/10
Hunter x Hunter’s art style is definitely pleasing to look at. The character’s appearances and personalities tie into one another seamlessly, and the choice of fashion, especially in characters like Hisoka and Illumi, is very impressive. This is significant as the show has a huge character list, yet all the character’s designs are so different from one another. For the backgrounds, the settings are (mostly) engaging, and color choices are realistic. The repetition of the same, kinda bland colour palettes can get boring, but on the bright side, it gives the audience a feeling of familiarity, and like the Hunter x Hunter world is similar to our own.
Characters - 8/10
What I really think Hunter x Hunter has going for it is it’s characters. Truly, I believe its outstanding amount of hype mainly stems from the amount of developed characters this show has to offer. Firstly, I would like to address the misconception that I think everyone has while watching this show. Yes, Kurapika and Leorio are initially perceived to be main characters, but my god, do not think that, you will be sorely disappointed. Gon and Killua, are in my opinion, the only main characters, Gon being the main protagonist. When it comes to their characters I think anyone with a heart can appreciate their friendship, however, I feel the term “better together” definitely pertains to them.
Gon, is surprisingly decent for a stereotypical protagonist. Though he fits pretty much all the tropes, I never really found him annoying. Most likely, this was since his moral compass was kinda skewed, which made him a little more interesting to watch.
When I think of Killua, I definitely think there’s lost potential. Often, and this is not just his character but many others in the show, his actions are shaped by what the story needs of him. To further elaborate, this means who he is as a character becomes inconsistent. If the show needs him to be Gon’s loyal companion he’ll be that, when the show needs him to be a heartless assassin, he’ll then switch to that, and so on. You don’t often see these different sides of him blend together to make a complex character.
Kurapika and Leorio, “the kinda but not main characters”, are both pretty great. Kurapika is probably my favourite character in the entire show. He is very consistent, has a detailed backstory, and a compelling story, especially in the Yorknew City arc. Leorio fell into the lost potential area for me, until I finished the election arc. Though I think Leorio is a decently flawed character, I think it’s mainly due to a lack of development. He ends up feeling like tag-along most of the time, and although he is a great comic relief character, I really hope the manga has given him more depth than the show.
One thing Hunter x Hunter excels at is making great antagonists. In the Yorknew City arc, I wanted to root for Kurapika, but a part of me was so fascinated with the phantom troupe I couldn’t help but not want them to be defeated either. This is sort of similar in the chimera ant arc. Although my affinity to the chimera ants is far less, my favourite characters from this part of the show were probably the enemies. Specifically, Meruem was probably, if not the most, well developed characters in the entire show.
Enjoyment - Average of 7/10
The hunter exam arc was a little bit of boring to me. Having one exam last 21 episodes is something that I don’t even think any show can pull off, no matter how well executed. I think it set the stage well, however I wish they had foreshadowed nen more heavily in the beginning of the series, as it’s one of the most important concepts in the show. Though, I really liked seeing the friendship form between Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio (8/10).
The Zoldyck family arc is a short one, so you would think they would try to fit more in that time frame. Nope. My main enjoyment from this part was purely from learning more about Killua’s past, which was quite intriguing. Additionally, meeting new characters like Canary and Milluki were a highlight of this arc. Though, in regard to the story, I can’t really name one thing this arc served to advance, other than some forced character development. (7/10).
The heaven’s arena arc is one that wasn’t inherently bad, but for someone who cares little for combat, it didn’t interest me. The appealing aspect of this arc to me, was learning what nen was and seeing how each person used their abilities so contrastingly. Nonetheless, nen could’ve been explained better. I’m not into spoon-feeding information to the audience, but the explanation should be adequate enough where most viewers understand the concept. (7/10).
The Yorknew City arc is what made me not drop the show. It’s well constructed and genuinely had me at the edge of my seat. I especially loved how Gon, Killua, and Leorio’s adventure naturally ended up intertwining with Kurapika's. The emotions in this arc are raw, and it had less corny moments than much of the rest of the show. Of course I could nitpick for flaws, but this was the height of the show for me. (10/10).
And after Yorknew City, came the downfall of Greed Island. Okay don’t get me wrong, I may tease this arc relentlessly, but it wasn’t that bad. I think I would’ve seen Greed Island as mediocre if it wasn’t for the Yorknew City arc that just raised my expectations way too much for the show. As a result, Greed Island ended up looking terrible in comparison. But seriously, four episodes for one game of dodgeball? (5/10)
Thought it wouldn’t get worse? Here comes the chimera ant arc. Truthfully, I have a love hate relationship with this arc. A part of me recognizes the amazing characters, the genuinely interesting premise, the amount of character development. Meruem's story is especially captivating. Yet, the terrible pacing kills everything I had just mentioned. Once again, one of the things that frustrates me most about Hunter x Hunter is lost potential. The chimera ant arc is a prime example of this. If the episode list was cut in half, I think this would've been up there with Yorknew City. Sadly, that’s not the case. (5/10)
After the chimera ant arc, the election arc was a breath of fresh air. It’s practically the reverse effect Greed Island had on me, only this time I can’t tell if the election arc was actually that good or if it was just so much better compared to the chimera ant arc. In spite of that, this arc has a lot going for it. Being more focused on Killua and Leorio, I feel like it patched up some of the negligence towards their characters that was prevalent in the beginning of the show. Alluka’s character was a great addition to the show and I found the election process, and all its candidates, was hilarious and entertaining. Once again, I could nitpick flaws, but I won’t. (9/10)
Overall - 8/10
Although I was pretty harsh reviewing the show, it was a net positive experience for me, so I’ll give it a more positive rating than I anticipated. This show is just way too inconsistent for my taste, but I can’t neglect that people like it for a reason. I felt I should post this review since most I’ve seen are undoubtedly for or against the show and I wanted to add an honest and somewhat unbiased review.