Review of Hunter x Hunter

**SPOILERS AHEAD** Story: 6 HxH is a mixed bag. Even though the story's main focus is Gon and his journey, HxH is a show that doesn't shy away from pushing side characters to the spotlight. Consisting of 7 different arcs, each arc has different characters highlighted, different villains, and even a different theme, tone and setting. These arcs are not combined well to an overarching storyline, they are mostly presented as seperate journeys that develop the main characters. So it's only fair to review the story of each arc seperately. I do not want to create a wall of text however, so I'll give short reviews. Hunter Exam:7
Though some of the 'fights' were too simple or bland, this arc served as a good introduction to the fascinating world of Hunters and the main characters.

Zoldyck Family Arc: 6
Good introduction to the interesting assassin family and the butlers but it was cut rather short.

Heaven's Arena Arc: 8
Light-hearted, and one of the better arcs of the series. The nen system is finally introduced, and is explained in great detail in the following arcs. Killua and Gon develop a sweet friendship as they tackle some simple obstacles. This arc also had one of the best fights of the entire series (Hisoka x Kastro) showcasing HxH's focus on strategy over powerlevel.

Yorknew City Arc: 5
The show does a fine job switching its tone at will, but Kurapika fell short as the main character. Troupe had few interesting villains too, so it felt like the plot didn't have anyone to lean on. The fights were also less strategic than the previous arcs. Although the final 5-6 episodes got better with the troupe being further developed and Gon/Killua getting more involved, overall I felt the arc was below HxH average.

Greed Island Arc: 7
More Gon x Killua training bromance in a different setting, with a better teacher. The card system was interesting and the dodgeball competition was great. But this arc also had the weakest villain (bomber) and the strategies remained rather simple for the most part.

Chimera Ant Arc: 9
Though it had its flaws (overnarration and Kite's development), this arc was by far the most ambitious and interesting one. The creator did an amazing job with the ants, and you can feel how much he cared for the arc. From Meruem and Komugi to the royal guards and from the queen and her soldiers to the newly introduced hunters, every character was sufficiently explored and fit well in the story. It also happens to be the longest arc by far, and in my opinion it's the arc that makes HxH special.

Hunter Chairman Arc: 3
I couldn't care much less about this arc. The whole arc felt like plot convenience and the zodiacs didn't catch my interest at all. Gon's revival and his reunion with Ging didn't give me much satisfaction. The ending also felt incomplete with lots of things unresolved. Overall, it felt like a bad transition to the light-hearted tone and a forced happy ending.

Overall the story had its ups and downs. It had great pacing throughout but excluding the Chimera Ant Arc, the plot remained too simplistic since each arc did its own thing instead of building on the previous one. It's not necessarily a bad thing however, as Ging says:

"You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want."

I believe that's what HxH highlights with its arcs, it focuses on the characters, their interactions, their journey more than an all-embracing story.

Art and Sound: 6
I think this is one part HxH isn't great at. Apart from Hisoka's theme, I found all of the music mediocre and forgettable. It does have a wide array of tracks to cover its different tones though.

I think the animation was consistent and handled tonal shifts well. Some fights like Meruem x Netero was a blast to watch but most of the time the animation was just 'good' for 2011, nothing that special.

Characters: 9
This is where HxH excels at. It doesn't just have colorful, memorable but generic characters like Naruto. It develops its main characters extremely well but the side characters are also very unique and developed enough so you can relate to their goals and personalities. Especially the Chimera Ant was amazing in this aspect with its great 'villains'. In terms of characters, I think HxH is up there with FMAB.

However the show has a bad habit of throwing away good potential. Leorio,Kurapika and Chrollo come to mind as examples. Chrollo and Kurapika basically vanished after the Troupe arc completely to never return and Leorio had a short return for.. elections? Personally I'd have liked to see more of them after they were developed so much.

Enjoyment: 7
Overall, HxH is a good shounen. For me it was kind of hit and miss with its arcs but if not for anything, it's worth a watch for its glorious Chimera Ant Arc and eccentric villains like Pouf and Hisoka.