Review of Hunter x Hunter

When I first started watching HxH 2011, I immediately stopped watching it after the first episode. It seemed like just another bland and by-the-book Shounen anime. "Blegh, just another Naruto or One Piece wannabe.", I thought. I put it to the back burner and didn't have any plans on returning to it. But, I kept seeing over the course of the following year or two, extremely high reviews and praise for the show. Still, I didn't have any desire to return to it, but ultimately, out of sheer boredom, I decided to watch the second episode. I still didn'treally understand what all the hubbub was about, but when I got to the next few episodes and Hisoka and Killua were introduced, I began to see that perhaps this wasn't just another lame Shounen anime.

As the anime continued on, I got more and more hooked on it, and I found it to be very enjoyable. However, it didn't really stand out until the Phantom Troupe arc. I'm not even sure what exactly happened behind the scenes, what stroke of genius inspiration hit the creator of this manga and anime, but it was explosively good. The entire tone of the anime changed, the intensity level was unreal, the moments and battles were classics, and the entire nature of the anime seemed to shift from "For kids." to "For adults". But, not just "for adults" as in: "We are mindlessly adding gore.", but "for adults" in the sense of "We are going to tell a perfectly tight and well-fit story of crime, syndicates, power, fear, aspiration and survival that even the most picky of film critic can find no fault with.".

Had the anime stopped after the Phatom Troupe arc, that alone would've been enough to put it in my top 10 of all time. But, after the Greed Island arc (which admittedly could never follow such a tough act like the Phantom Troupe arc), we get to the crowing glory of not just this series, but of all of anime: The Chimera Ant Arc. Never, and I mean, NEVER have I seen such masterful story telling within a Shounen battle anime.

The Chimera Ant arc, to me, stands as the crowning achievement of anime. Whenever I open up an anime, I always hope that, that anime will make me feel at least half as entertained as I was when watching the Chimera Ant arc. Especially the battle between Meruem and Netero. That is, literally, the greatest fight I've ever seen on a screen. But, it wasn't just the action of this arc, but the completely unconventional way they chose to resolve the conflict between the Hunters (and Humanity) and the Ants. This might be the only anime where an arc ends without the main protagonist and antagonist just having a brawl to finish events. But, instead it concludes via high level sacrifice and scheming to bring a unique resolution to events. It was an incredible and surprising way to end things.

You could tell that HxH really wanted to break the mold of story telling within a battle anime with this arc, by its main villain, The King. His story was an amazing one, and his character was deeply intriguing, as he wasn't your basic: "Mwahahaaa!! I'm a bad guy! I want power! I will kill everyone because I'm evil! Mwahaahaa!!!" He was a complex character who was more trying to understand his own nature, the nature of his species and their place in the world. Trying to balance the megalomania that his insane power produces, with learning what it means to exist alongside humans and understanding their value through his unlikely relationship with Komugi. (A wonderfully crafted side-story, as well.). The character development and bonds of this anime were amazing throughout.

In addition, that arc introduced my favorite character of all time: Neferpitou. There are not many animes that produce characters you remember forever, but Hunter X Hunter produced five for me: Meruem, Killua, Hisoka, Kurapika and Neferpitou. The odd thing is Neferpitou was a villain, wasn't even the main villain, and didn't even get that much screen time in comparison to other characters. But, there was something about her that I just loved. She's still my favorite and I sometimes go back to watch some of her best moments in the series.

I could go on forever about this anime and especially this arc, where every episode felt like it went by in 4 minutes, and the drama, suspense had you on the edge of your seat the entire time. But, suffice it to say, that of the animes listed on MAL in the Top 10, for me, this one most deserves its placement, and should be #1. Yes, even over Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which is another one of my all time favorite animes.

More than likely, you have already watched this anime, or some part of it. So, there's no need to recommend that you watch it. But, if I can make a recommendation, it is this: If you started this anime and then got the feeling it's overrated and dropped it, continue on until you get to the Phantom Troupe arc. You don't know how much you're cheating yourself if you don't experience the Phantom Troupe and Chimera Ant arcs. When people put this on the "Greatest Anime Ever" list, it belongs there.

Story: 10
Art: 10
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10.

This is literally, in my opinion, the best anime I've ever seen.