Review of Hunter x Hunter
Okay, so, having seen Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho as a kid and learning that HxH was the work of the very same author, it was only fair that I gave it a watch. Also, being the idiot that I am I binge watched it in about a week. Let's start: Story: 7/10 - Mild spoilers ahead The story of HxH had a really good impact initially. It had kind of a stupid but pure premise which made me like it quite a lot. Gon wanted to follow into the footsteps of his father, Ging and find him once he got his "Hunter License". The Hunter Exam, Heavens Arena and Greed Island arcsserved a good purpose for that story.
The Phantom Troupe arc was good on its own as a side story and had genuine bad ass moments hosted by Kurapika.
What really left me with a bit of frustration were the Chimera Ant and Election arcs.
The CA arc was way, way way too long and it bored me to the point i skpped entire episodes because of the narration. I wanted to see the fights going, not a narrator explaining every detail of what was happening. Thank God I had all the episodes available as I would have probably dropped the series if I were watching it as it aired.
The Election arc was boring because of the convenience factor. I did not care about the whole Chairman situation. The Gon "situation" was solved way too easily and Killua's genie sister felt a bit forced, especially since all the other Zoldycks were reluctant and downright scared of her power.
Art: 10/10
My only rule regarding anime art is that CGI is most of the time ugly and soulless. It wasn't the case here, fight scenes were great, character motions pretty fluid. It's Madhouse, I like their animation style.
Sound: 10/10
Nothing particularily set me off, effects were on point, hits and power levels felt adequate.
Characters: 10/10
This was the redeeming factor that compensated for the long and frustrating story of the final acts. Each and every character had its moments and they were so well done I will probably remember their names for years to come. Some were memorable.
Let's discuss the main cast in depth:
-Gon, the protagonist appears to be a simple minded child with a kind heart. As we discover later in the anime, he becomes quite cunning and tactical when fighting, though. He also has a seemingly unstable moral compass. He's the kind that isn't quick to judge and also not paint the world in black and white, except when he does(you'll understand while watching)
-Killua is kind of the opposite of Gon, he's calm, precise, thoughtful and he's there to support Gon and kind of keep him in check. That doesn't mean he sees no development though, on the contrary, his story might be the best in the anime.
-Kurapika is...the resident badass of the series. We are given enough details regarding his background, to understand his feelings of rage and revenge and has some of the coolest powers, enabled by said feelings.
-Leorio is...kind of the "eyes of the viewer" character. He is not that powerful, nor we are shown any Nen powers of his until later on in the show, but he stands out for being dumb, yet pure at heart with a strong sense of justice for his friends.
Now, for some side-characters.The stand-outs for me were:
-Hisoka, obviously and probably my favourite character in the series. You just don't know what the guy is up to and you'll love him for it. He's exactly what the story needs him to be, ally, villain, spectator, he does it all. He also has some really cool powers that fit his joker character perfectly
-Chairman Netero had some of the most weird development I've seen in a while. He has a twisted personality and that led to some unexpected events.
-The King of Ants, Meruem, probably the redeeming element of the Chimera Ant arc.He evolved during the arc and had a really touching story.
-Knuckle...just a lovely guy, he resembles Kuwabara from YYH. Honest, protective of his friends and with a strong sense of Honor.
Overall, it was a good anime, but the lackluster and long end acts is what made me deduct a few points. It was a 9/10 until the Ants rolled then, it quite honestly became a 5/10. And those 5 points are based solely on characters and their development. The story had no meaning, the moment the King hesitated, it became predictable and boring. Even the long awaited meeting between father and son was sweet but still held nothing in terms of story. I know that the manga continues, but as far as the anime goes it is unfinished.
7/10