Review of Hunter x Hunter
STORYTELLING & ARCS: Storytelling was the highlight of the show undeniably. A lot of things keep on happening around and best part was how Gon & Killua were involved in those. The arcs in particular served no definitive highlights to their characters (with Greed Island and Heaven's Arena as an arguable exception) & that's what made the storytelling so unique to me. The stories weren't focused on them but rather had them. And yet, the characters' progression were never hindered for once. The depth and layers as well as continuous change of themes and tone in the storytelling proved to be the vital point ofthe show.
CHARACTER & THEIR DESIGNS: Almost each and every characters of the show played some key roles throughout the show. No characters can be deemed useless. And the amount of development the major characters recieved throughout the journey of 148 episodes was a delight to experience. Gon, Kurapika, Meruem & Killua, in particular, were highlights of the show with Hisoka lurking around the favourites-corner. Besides, when it comes to designs, Madhouse did yet another fantastic job. Killua, Gon & Hisoka's designs in particular were some huge improvements from its source material or first anime adaptation. Maybe, only the Zodiacs didn't look as good as others.
ART & ANIMATION: Art-style was a fantastic upgrade over its inconsistent source material and overall, both animation & art were consistent enough. Although, they can't be deemed fabulous or anything. They were just good, or great for a long running show that Hunter x Hunter was. While the art managed to capture the vast world building so extravagantly with a beautiful color palette, the shot composition and animation added a different dynamism that made the show a beautiful piece of art to watch and enjoy. The animation, however, became extremely good during certain moments such as the fight between Gon & Hisoka. Besides some fantastic choreography, the shot composition and clever usage of budget also allowed the fights to look great.
MUSIC: Probably the most underrated aspect of the show. The theme song and almost every ending themes were consistently great. I never skipped any one of the openings or endings at all! Such was the obsession I had with the show in itself. Besides, backgrounds scoring added a different feeling to the show. Originally, Hunter x Hunter is a very dark manga. But most importantly, with (the color palette and) the music, Madhouse succeeded in giving the show a brand new dimension. But that didn't hinder the quality, epicness or darkness of certain moments or the penultimate arc. A true shounen.
POWER-SCALING: Nen is usually considered one of the finest power-systems ever & I can understand why. It was never about the brute force but rather the brain. Intelligence > Power was always showcased with Hisoka & Killua as the leading examples. With bunjee gum or godspeed, a loss is inevitable unless you adapt and apply yourself properly on ground. Nen truly played an important role throughout the series with a huge surprise in the end where human's raw evolution was shown to be not forgotten amid.
PACE: Pace was pretty consistent throughout with Greed Island, Heaven's Arena & Yorknew City Arcs being perfect. But the problem arose with the beginning of Chimera Ant Arc that was painfully slow at times. In the end, the slow pace also made sense and only enhanced the arc further to provide a satisfying finish. Overall, I'd say the pace was pretty good, if not that great.
VOICE ACTING: I watched the English dub and it was simply flawless to begin with. Every voices suited their respective characters ideally with Hisoka, Killua, Gon & Leorio being the best performances of the entire show. At times, I felt the English dub was much superior to its Japanese counterpart in my honest opinion (which is quite surprising nowadays, with the exception of Black Clover arguably).
MOVIES: Probably the only "disappointing" aspect of the entire show. First movie was mediocre and second movie was just good at best. In the end, nothing matters given the movies are totally non-canon.
DIRECTION: Now that I've talked about everything, I must admit — the series wouldn't have anywhere near what it is if it wasn't for the direction. The series had 2 fillers in total with some good pace, fabulous arcs, great action, fantastic shot composition & what not. The direction itself needs applause seperately.
VERDICT: Overall, what I feel like is that no episode was ever less than a solid 8/10 for me & such was the enjoyment I've had over the last few months. I was invested very deeply into the anime & loved every bits of it. A pure masterpiece in every way. Probably could be the epitome of shounen once Togashi comes out of the hiatus and finishes the storyline. Although, it's still very hard to convince people to watch it given the shounen tag (which some people don't like anymore) as well as the misleading and generic synopsis. But trust me, the series is nowhere near what its impression otherwise feels like.
FINAL RATING: 10/10 easily. Just dive into it & have a blast of a few weeks. You'll not regret. Currently having a hangover & have no wish to watch anything else right now. Undoubtedly my most favourite anime alongside Vinland Saga!