Review of Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter doesn’t revolutionize the shounen demographic, but it certainly capitalizes on its untapped potential to a large extent. Nen is an incredibly versatile power system, and the show takes its time in establishing its multifaceted constitution. The explications of nen principles and their technique applications are exhaustive, aiding the power’s utilization in well-thought-out battles, and the intelligent tactics and unexpected turns of events are dominant elements that retain quality. Reliance on exposition, however, is considerably high as a result, growing worse halfway through the show. The inordinate narration in the Chimera Ant arc paired with the exorbitant length is its most prominent ailment,substantially pernicious to the entirety of the show. There are merits to account for in every arc’s conclusion, although their degrees differ moderately. Chimera Ant’s ending in particular is irredeemable to the arc’s dragged nature, but something that could’ve potentially been remarkable if not for its several shortcomings.

The character-specific arc formula in Hunter x Hunter has its pros and cons, where a set of characters receive gradational individual and collective development, while a major pool of the cast serves an interim purpose, eventually either being disposed of or reappearing after an extended period. An ample amount of fascinating faces are thereby underexploited, although the main duo’s dynamic somewhat makes up for that drawback. Gon and Killua’s journey explores a new portion of the world in each arc, but unfortunately, its massive scale wasn’t further delved into; however, the world-building is an impressive aspect of the show. Madhouse doesn’t disappoint on the production end as well, consistently improving the overall quality; the soundtrack selection is phenomenal, with unblemished employment. Hunter x Hunter is quintessential in its genre, bold enough to improvise while maintaining its foundation, an augmentation of the horizons of the conceived shounen standard.