Review of Hunter x Hunter

If you have watched the new 148 episode series and are here, then this is the review you need to read. Personally, I love my shounen but I'm not an obsessee by any rate. I love dabbling in all the genres, and when shounen gets 'too' shounen I usually get sick of it. I liked the 'new' series because it balanced plot with fight scenes and emotions and was overall very interesting and fun to watch, in addition to being pretty easy to binge. That being said, I watched this series because I usually like watching all versions and related things to a franchise onceI start it. While that was my only reason at the time, I have realized that the original is somewhat of a hidden gem for anyone who liked the original. So if you're a hardcore fan of the manga or the new HxH, you're in the right place.

In means of the plot, the show covers everything the new show covers, and it seems to be very faithful to the same strict plot. There are a few things (like an extra stage/different stage in the Hunter Exam, a few extra interactions or happenings that didn't happen in the new one) but more or less even the exact lines are almost the same.

The art is the main difference, mostly because it's an older anime. However, they put a lot of work into it and you can tell. It's not grating on the eyes at all; it's actually a very smooth watch if you can get used to it in the first few episodes.

As for the sound, other than the closing and opening music, there isn't a lot since there aren't even full 'classic' anime openings or closings. It's more of a jingle if you ask me. The background music suits everything really well and the show ends the last episode with a very long song and montage, which was all very nice. The voice actors were mostly good at their jobs. I was a little put off by Gon's English dub actor because I felt like everything was a little forced, and this applied to some other actors as well, but mostly it was tolerable. Old English dubs really aren't the best.

The characters, on the other hand, I feel like this is where this series shines in comparison to the newer one. Somehow, they managed to show nuances of the characters that I didn't really watch in the new show. It's genius in its simplicity that conveys so much.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. Some parts feel a little draggy if you've already read the manga or watched the newer series because it follows it so faithfully it may just feel like you're rewatching. But if you just want to see HxH again, I would definitely recommend just watching this for a taste of something new yet old at the same time. :)

I would recommend this if: you enjoyed the new series, you like 'vintage' things, you like classic shounen

I would NOT recommend this if: you didn't enjoy the new series, you don't like 'old' animation, you can't stand old English dub voices (unless you can find a sub; I couldn't)

Have a great day everyone!