Review of Hunter x Hunter
“You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want” – a quote from HxH. This review will contain minor spoilers. And that’s really what this show is all about, detours. The beauty of HxH is that you never really know what happens next. HxH makes a habit of tricking you into thinking something is definitely bound to happen, and we’re so certain of it because isn’t that how shounens or even shows in general work? Hell no. Not in the HxH world that is. The whole ride was exciting, thrilling, suspenseful andleaves me wanting more, and as I type out this review attempting to fill the gaping hole the end of the show has left me with, I urge everyone to pick up this show right here and right now.
Like many foolish foolish people, I brushed off HxH as some childish looking show, thinking it probably won’t be my cup of tea, because long-running shows were just too much of a commitment. But I am so thankful that I picked it up again a few months later, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The genres stated here on MAL doesn’t even begin to sum up what you should expect from HxH, because it encompasses so many different themes. Because each Arc is so distinctly different from the previous, nothing is ever repetitive, instead we viewers are treated with a bounty of fresh plot and characters (both new and old).
On the topic of characters, this show has blessed me with my top two favourite characters of all time, the two protagonists, Gon and Killua. This entire show is centered on the two of them, their character development over time, their strengths their weaknesses, and most importantly their relationship. It brings a whole new light to the meaning of friendship (not in the cheesy way I assure you). Their presence made my entire HxH journey 10x more enjoyable. The thing with HxH is that we’re deceived from the poster and the first two arcs that the entire show will revolve around the 4 main characters, including Kurapika and Leorio, which unfortunately it didn’t, and the show just kinda ignores their existence for like a couple of arcs :/ But it makes up for it with AWESOME side characters. Every single character introduced in HxH has a distinct flavor to them, and even though they only last for a single arc for some and you never see them again, you quickly grow attached to them(even if they are the so called ‘bad guys’). Another phenomenal thing that HxH does is that it doesn’t draw a definite line between good and evil, everyone has a reason for acting a certain way and no character is outright angelic or demonic, not even Gon, the optimistic ball of sunshine that I assumed would stay as the show’s light that saves the day with his positivity, when in fact something very different happens. There is an actual portrayal of harsh reality, the circumstances that we may someday have to face, the sacrifices that we ought to make and the mistakes that we unintentionally make because to err is to be human.
Another negative about HxH is that there are A LOT of still shots, panning shots and NARRATION. There are literally episodes where the narration takes up more than half of the episodes duration. And there are arcs where the pace of the show is reduced to a slow torturous craw. (But that’s what the fast forward button is for right?) But all is great because the show saves up budget from those episodes to animate amazingly spectacular fight sequences that will stun your very eyes. Ever fight scene in HxH is extremely entertaining, because the whole concept of Nen, which is the very aura humans have and how it is tapped on to give us “powers”, is both unique and holds so much potential. Every character has their individual technique and this gives rise to extremely interesting and fascinating action scenes that reflect their personality and their fighting style, altering what some may see as boring repetitive brawls into plot and character development elements embedded within each brutal exchange. The outcome of fights are always unpredictable, because the thing with Nen is that pure strength is not definite enough to determine who would win in a fight, but rather the strategies that are adopted and the nature of the characters’ powers influence the direction the fight heads towards. So even the weakest fighter, if possesses a technique that can single out a flaw in an extremely powerful opponent, can also come out victorious.
HxH has been praised beyond the roofs and I was fully aware of that before starting out the show wanting to see whether it really is as good as people claim it to be and it truly has defied all my expectations. It made me laugh, it made me cry (a lot), it made me feel and learn many things that I didn’t know was possible through 2D animation and fictional characters. HxH really is the masterpiece that I believe everyone can enjoy as long as you’re able to ignore some of its minor flaws. I praise the gods for the existence of Yoshihiro Togash (HxH’s mangaka) and I pray that his back recovers completely so he can finally complete the manga and not go on hiatus ever again. Thanks for reading this review :)