Review of Hunter x Hunter

9/10 I started watching "Hunter x Hunter" with not exactly high expectations. As the main characters are children, I thought it would be a very light anime, with nothing very deep and a bit childish. The premise about the hunters isn't really my type, I wondered if the story arcs would be about them, for example, just going to look for a rare item in a certain island or fighting some sea creature, basically just going in random adventures, like the cartoons for children. Which I have nothing against, but nowadays, I like to watch series with a more developed plot. Thankfully, I couldn'tbe more wrong.
It takes place in a world where there's magic items, monsters and people with unique powers, and to discover those things all over the world, there are hunters. The main character is Gon, a 12 year old boy who aims to become a hunter because his father, who abandoned him when he was a baby, is a hunter as well. So he takes off to make the Hunter exam, where he meets his friends and also some enemies.
I think that the characters are super well developed, they all have a very defined personality and through the anime they continue to evolve. This is not a very typical shonen, for example, the main four characters are actually separated most of the anime. Gon and Killua are always together, but they only meet Kurapika and Leorio sometimes. Although this might sound a bit sad, I think that is very well portrayed in the anime, because it shows the viewers that even though friends are not together all the time, they'll always be friends, and when they meet it will be like they saw each other yesterday. But I have to admit that I did wanted just a little bit more of the four of them together.
There's nothing childish about this anime, there are actually some scenes though to watch and some very deep ones too. Overall, the plot is very well developed, the characters are interesting and it's very addictive. Although, I did have a problem with a part of the show. So, the first 80 episodes are incredible, I loved every story arc, fight and characters introduced. But, after that we enter the biggest story arc of the anime, the Chimera Ant Arc, which lasts 'till episode 136 (out of 148). Honestly, I thought the arc was just too long, and from episode 80 until like 110, I was kind of really bored. This, because, in first place, I didn't really find the Ants plot very interesting, it didn't get to me. Second, apart from the ending, to me, this arc kinda felt out of place in the anime, it seemed like it was just put in the middle of the anime for no reason. The other arcs developed the story, in the way that showed characters going after their goals, Gon making connections with other people, learning new techniques, or getting closer to find his father. To me, the other arcs make the plot, but this one felt like it was leading us nowhere (besides the tragic ending). This made me quite sad, because I really loved the anime, but those 30 episodes or so are not it, at least for me. But the thing is, althought I didn't really enjoy those episodes or the arc itself, the rest of the anime is so good that I have to give it a 9. I would recommend this anime for anyone who likes shonen, I think basically everyone would enjoy it. But as for the Chimera Ant Arc, I think it will depend on each person. I met people whose favorite arc was this one, but others who also thought that it was just too long, or out of place.
So, if you like shonen animes with really good fight scenes, excentric villains and interesting characters, you should definitely watch "Hunter x Hunter". Even if you don't like the Chimera Ant Arc, you'll most likely enjoy the rest of the anime.