Review of Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter is an incredible anime. I would even go as far as to say that it’s one of the best of all time, and I truly mean that. When I first heard about Hunter x Hunter, I assumed the worst about it. I had virtually no interest in watching it whatsoever – I’m more of a slice of life and romance kind of girl – and just thought it would be one of those run-of-the-mill adventure anime with flat characters and mindless action. I was dead wrong! Hunter x Hunter cultivates such a beautiful world with deep, complex characters – and it makes it so easyfor us to fall in love with them and root for their happiness and success.
The systems and rules in which their world operates are fascinating, nothing short of brilliant – yet aren’t too complicated, or difficult to follow.
Having the protagonist be a child adds an enjoyable, youthful lens to an otherwise overwhelmingly mature story. It adds levity, is a wonderful way of storytelling, and further emphasizes the harsh realities that he has to face and overcome.
The anime also features an incredible soundtrack. It keeps the same catchy, memorable, and familiar opening song the whole way through, and blesses your ears with an array of beautiful background music.
I’ll say this because a lot of people have mixed views. I believe that the Chimera Ant arc (otherwise known as the 5th season) is done exceptionally well. It’s very long – not a complaint or even a compliment, just a simple fact – but not drawn out or unnecessary. It’s paced well, and every episode is crucial to fully understanding the bigger picture. It introduces new characters, new ideas, and I just get so upset when I hear people say that they dropped the show because of the length, or just skipped the arc entirely! Please, don’t be turned off by how many episodes there are. I know it looks daunting, but you’ll want to binge all of them!
I should bring up the character, Hisoka, too – a popular antagonist who (there’s no real way to sugarcoat this) is pretty much a pedophile. He doesn’t actually do anything besides act creepy – but still, it can be uncomfortable and possibly triggering for some viewers.
Overall, Hunter x Hunter is an amazing emotional rollercoaster. Even if you only like the frilly feel-good stuff, or the really brainy feel-bad stuff, or if you just think Hunter x Hunter is “low brow” – I promise you, it’s worth giving it a chance. You won’t regret it. Hunter x Hunter is something special, and you deserve to see it.