Review of Hunter x Hunter

I found a lot of mixed reviews so I decided I'd throw in my own two cents. *SLIGHT SPOILERS* First of all, I'd like to say that if you're a fan of shounen but don't just want constant FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT this is the show for you. As someone who just finished the series, I confidently consider this a masterpiece. STORY The story might start out slow if not even a bit cliche at first, but if you want to truly enjoy it I say keep watching. It starts picking up quickly in the second arc and is truly at its best in the Yorknew arc. ANIMATION Top Notch. Neverdropped in quality. It is a Madhouse show after all.

MUSIC

The OST's are great but they can be a bit repetitive for some. I thought they fit the scenes very well.

CHARACTERS

Now, THIS is where HxH really shines. I'll start with the heroes:

Gon Freecs the main MC. He might seem like your typical happy go lucky shounen protagonist, but you soon come to realise that he's not some martyr looking to always save everyone and that his morals are questionable at best. He is inherently selfish in a way. On one hand, he doesn't bat an eye at the constant deaths occurring during the Hunter Exam, nor about the fact that his best friend is a mass murdering assassin, but when one of his loved ones dies he goes crazy (I'll talk about this in more detail later). Although he is the type that never gives up, he loses most of the fights he's in and does not receive asspull powerups in the middle of a battle.

Killua Zoldyck is the other MC and he is well liked for good reason. He's calm, rational, badass and overall fun to watch. Luckily, they don't just leave his character at that. He has believable character flaws as a result of his life with a family of mad assassins. In a sense, he is the perfect balancer for Gon and they both play off each other and allow each other to grow.

Kurapika is also an MC, but he is not as plot relevant as the other two. He has a lot of similarities to Sasuke Uchiha backstory wise, but they couldn't be more different. He is calm, a bit overpowered, but can sometimes become irrational in his quest for revenge. He puts his friends first though.

Leorio is the last MC, but he bearly gets any screen-time. He is often used as comic relief but also serves as a rational guy who can keep a level head and ground the other three.

There are a variety of other supporting characters such as Melody, Biscky, Kite, Knuckle, Shoot, Palm etc, who are also well developed.

Now the villains are the best part of HxH. Nowhere else have I seen villains in shows receive such treatment.

Hisoka is a psycho clown who's looking for a good fight. I love him because you never know what he's thinking, or whose side he's on. One moment he's the main antagonist, two arcs later he's playing dodgeball with Gon and Killua. He's unpredictable and oh so fun to watch.

The Phantom Troupe differ from any villain organization I have seen because they deeply care about one another. You can feel their pain when one of the members dies, or how much they care about their boss. They aren't out for world domination, they are just a bunch of thieves with a different ideology.

All of the Chimera ants are incredibly well developed, so much so that even the henchmen had more of a character arc than most support in other anime. But the king, Meruem, is unlike any other villain I have seen before. You can see him changing episode by episode, not becoming eviler, but instead questioning if world domination, the task he was apparently born for is even worth it. This all starts when he meets a blind boardgame master who he cannot beat. She is the first person he encounters that makes him rethink his actions. At the end instead of getting a triumphant scene where Gon defeats him in a grand fight, we get a sweet, yet sad death scene that will hit you in the feels better than any romance anime could.

ARCS

Yorknew and Chimera Ant are considered the best. While most people agree on Yorknew, opinions on Chimera Ant are split. I loved it because I had never seen such a crazy role reversal happen before. In this arc, the hero becomes the villain and the villain becomes the hero. The most controversial part of the arc is the narration. It can get a little slow at times so whether you like it depends on your preferences.

POWER SYSTEM

10/10. Best Power System in shounen. The fights are creative, strategic and you never know the outcome.

I say that you should watch this show without overhyping yourself. Lower your expectations and create your own opinion. Often reading other peoples reviews can ruin a show. It happened to me with Black Clover. Everyone was hating on it so I did too, but when I eventually watched it I actually found it really enjoyable. Everyone is different. Give HxH a try and see what you think about it.