Review of Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter is not a perfect anime. However, the culmination of its parts, between the story, characters, animation and music, creates a masterpiece that I think every anime fan should watch, regardless of your inclinations towards shounens. The story is good, despite some of its premises being questionable. The entire reason why Gon, the protagonist, sets off on his journey, is to find his father. This goal becomes more muddled as the series goes on, and the dynamic duo get involved in increasingly hairier situations. This is ultimately for the better, however, as the characters that Gon meets in these arcs are fascinating in spiteof the main drive, and not because of it. As the series goes on, the worldbuilding becomes more and more detailed, allowing you to feel the same sense of wonder that Gon does upon travelling the world. I think the themes tackled by the arcs, especially later ones, are meaningful and range from the emotional, personal conflicts like family to the grand questions of humanity and what it means to be alive.

The battle system that most shounen are known for is here as well, and I consider it to be one of the best, among Stands in terms of uniqueness and depth. Coupled with madhouses amazing animation, and a pretty unique art style (though i think the artworks detail is one of the lacking aspects of the series) you get an incredible viewing experience.

The show features four main characters, although two stand apart in my opinion as the better. Leorio is a forgotten character, and I would say that perhaps he simply hasn't had his arc to shine yet, as Kurapika, one of the better characters, but the manga's continued hiatuses (a very cursed word to the fandom) make me think he will stay a forever left behind protagonist. Gon, the main protag, is by far the weaker of the duo between him and Killua. Killua is the one who experiences the emotional grief, the strain of his relationships, leaving Gon to be an airheaded shounen protag oftentimes. That isn't to say he doesn't have his moments, but you will wait long periods to see his growth, where as Killua experience some sort of change every arc. Kurapika is the group's "solo" protagonist, who is engaged in the stories most separated from Gons goals. However, his arc is considered to be by far one the best in the series, due in no small part to his antagonists. Speaking of which, the villains in this show are excellent as well, I would say even the highlight of some arcs.

The music is incredible in this show. I am not musically talented nor knowledgeable, so my descriptions here will probably be lackluster, but it truly melds so well with the anime. It starts off so hopeful and wondrous at the beginning, and it evolves as the show does into a much more suspenseful, high stakes suite. Each arc gets their own thematic music, and I think that really helps to set them apart from each other, rather than having motifs that are repeated ad nauseam (which is usually something I enjoy a lot, like in ff14's ost).

I just wanted to wax poetic on this great show. I think that, even with your expectations set high, that you can still go in and see what makes this show great. Tempering your expectations doesn't mean to lower them, but to understand that what makes one thing special cannot be applied to everything.