Review of Hunter x Hunter

I can already tell this review is gonna be long. By the way, if you're wondering if this series is worth watching: it is. Don't read the rest of this review because, even though there aren't spoilers, it'll confuse you. But if you want to know if this series is as brilliant as people say it is, then the answer is: 100% yes, and more. This is hard to review because the manga hasn't finished yet, and I feel like a lot of the things I had issues with during this series are probably justified based on what the rest of this series is likely supposedto be, but we just don't know. So, with that in mind, don't @ me for the things I didn't think were all that great about this series because it still slaps.

First things first, the soundtrack absolutely sucked in the beginning. I'm sure a lot of people found it charming, but I hated it. It got better, though, so I'll digress. The art in this anime is awesome, and the way it's animated can be really intriguing, especially during certain ability activations and stuff like that. Honestly, some of the character designs weren't the best, but once I got used to them, I ended up liking them. Plus, some character designs are badass. Hisoka and Killua alone look so cool.

I'm gonna say some things now that I'm assuming most fans of this series won't like because this show is so beloved. And I get it. I'm a member of that club now, too. However. This series is very confused. And some parts were flat out boring and bad. I understand the "enjoying the detours" thing (which is super cool theme for this series, by the way; I love that concept), but this series doesn't present itself like that; it kind of just throws out different arcs that may or may not have something to do with one another and then moves on, and that's really annoying. Not to mention the fact that the characters are also confused. Some have a purpose, some don't; some characters are dynamite and should show up more often and some had too much focus; some antagonists seem more important than others but get less screen time--it's all a bit of a mess. I've seen some opinions on why Killua should be the main character instead of Gon and other, similar sentiments, but Gon being the main character is not the issue I had with the characters. But I'll come back to them later.

Back to my issues with the story or lack thereof. I'm not saying that the Troupe or the Chimera Ants or whatever have to be the only antagonists. I'm not saying this series has to be like Naruto or Bleach or even Gintama. But, I do think it needs some kind of focused plot. If the goal is to have multiple detours along the path of life to enjoy, then have the antagonists be one-offs and never show up again; don't leave room for them to return. Have multiple stories that don't connect--or barely connect--and end it simply, like it began.

If it's supposed to have an ultimate goal, then make that clearer. Within the first few arcs, say, "Boom! There's your antagonist. On your way to their demise, enjoy these detours." But if you're going to do that, the ultimate goal *has* to be referenced throughout the entire series. If Detour A is going to be taken, then it's going to be taken because it's supposed to be a stepping stone toward the ultimate goal. Anything else that happens on that stepping stone is considered a detour to enjoy, but the point of that stepping stone should always be the ultimate goal. And here's the thing: that may be what Hunter x Hunter is. The Troupe, for example, may return as the ultimate antagonist, but we just don't know because the manga is on hiatus (as it should be, given the mangaka's condition).

However, the ultimate goal format doesn't work if the characters don't work in that context 100% of the time, which is how the Hunter x Hunter characters are. Let's get back to why the characters are unfocused. I won't name names because I don't want to have spoilers in this review, but one of the main characters doesn't have a goal at all (until the end, granted), two of them are barely main characters given their screen time (and one of those doesn't have any background work done on them at all), and one of the main characters has a goal that makes it impossible for them to *realistically* get involved in any plotline or any antagonist without it seeming at least a little bit forced.

There are arcs built to include one or two of the main characters, but all of the arcs always exclude at least one character in terms of realistic inclusion. Sure, the character will be present, but it won't make sense as to why. Sure, the plot comes up with a reason, but it isn't a good one. The only exception, I'd say, would be the first two arcs (official arcs, since I guess the actual second one isn't official). It's not that all four main characters have to be there all the time, but the characters that *are* there have to have a good reason to be. Also, Gon is, without a doubt, the central character of this anime. However, I don't know that that was the correct direction to take as the other three main characters are such good characters. Gon embodies a central character, but as Hunter x Hunter doesn't always treat him like one, this should've been an ensemble anime rather than trying to present Gon as an Ichigo or Naruto when, part of the time, he isn't. On top of that, this anime kind of forgets about two of the main characters *a lot,* so it probably should've been about the other two's relationship primarily rather than about all four main characters or just about Gon. Really, the two main characters that are always around should've been co-main characters.

Finally, my last bit of ranting is about the fact that the story and character developments were *way* too inconsistent. Huge events would happen that had zero precedent in the story. Characters would change out of nowhere--and I do mean nowhere--and it would just seem lame and forced. Abilities would be touted as unique, only for the next arc to say, "Actually, hundreds of people can do this." I'm gonna slam the stop button pretty suddenly now, though, because it's time to talk about the developments that this anime did amazingly.

The emotional development in this anime was so damn brilliant. Any character at all was allowed to be completely good one moment and completely dark the next. That happened with protagonists and antagonists alike, and it was awesome almost every time. Sometimes the characters actually were both good and dark, and sometimes they just became one extreme for reasons that aligned with the other. Sometimes they would always be one or the other, but their actions just so happened to overlap with the opposite extreme. That variety was so interesting. Killua could be terrifying and sweet and vulnerable and insanely strong all at once. Gon could be earnest and yet awash in rage. Hisoka could attack or help the main characters for exactly the same reason. That is the main thing that kept me hooked to this series.

However, the story did also keep me entranced for most of the time. The battles were almost always phenomenal, whether that was choreography, tone, gore, shock, strategy, victory, or defeat. The emotion and heart of the multiple arcs in this anime always hit the mark, especially when it had to do with the relationships between characters. Certain stories made me wish for more, and certain antagonists made me excited for their return.

The characters themselves, along with their variety of personality, are my favorite part of this anime. I fell in love with all of them, and that's why I stayed engaged when only two or three of the original four characters were on screen. Whether the plot was boring or amazing, whether the pace was terrible or perfect, the characters always kept me coming back because I wanted to be there with them as they fought and struggled and cried and hurt; I wanted to see them laugh and play and learn and love. Who these characters are is so unique, and I'm never going to experience again what I did when I met Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika, and all the other characters--like Hisoka, Ging, and Meruem--that I loved so much.

So, no, Hunter x Hunter isn't perfect. The plot can be slow and long winded; the characters can do things that don't make sense at all; developments can happen that make the story worse rather than better. But all the amazing things about this story vastly overshadow the bad. It shocked me and amazed me more than once, and I hope I'll be able to see its conclusion some day. I'll always be happy and grateful to have spent time with these characters in this world. If you haven't watched this wonderful story yet, believe me: it's a treasure just waiting to be discovered. It's a detour just waiting to be enjoyed to the fullest.