Review of Hunter x Hunter

When I was just getting into anime, my friends were hyping up this anime called Hunter x Hunter to me. I was intrigued by this and went to look at both the anime and the manga. When I saw that the manga was on hiatus and I saw the hiatus chart, I thought to myself: “I’m not gonna watch a show that’s never gonna finish.” How stupid I was. Fast forward to summer of 2022, I’m bored out of my mind and scrolling through my PTW section on my list. Lo and behold, Hunter x Hunter stared me in the face. A little voice inthe back of my mind said, “try it.” I decided to give it the first 10 episodes and if I hated it, I’d drop it. Anyway, 46 episodes in I was in love with this show more than a seasonal waifu. The characters, world building, and power system were all done PERFECTLY. In this review, I will be breaking down the things that I like and the few things that I dislike about my favorite and, in my opinion, the best Shounen Jump title of all time.

Pros:

Characters:
HxH has some of the best main characters, side characters, and villains in Shounen Jump history. Characters like Gon, Killua, Kurapika (my absolute fav side character), Meruem, and any of the members of the Phantom Troupe. All of these characters have incredible development and so much potential to get so much better later down the line. The villains especially are amazing. I’ve seen people call Meruem a boring villain. If you are one of those people, shut up. Nobody cares. The way you see Meruem go from a heartless monster to understanding what it means to be human and have a soul brings me to tears every time I rewatch *that* scene. Amazing characters all around.

World Building:
The world that Hunter x Hunter exists in is one of the most expansive and interesting worlds in anime. Keep in mind that as of writing this review, I haven't watched One Piece. The insane amount of places that we've visited in this anime, from Yorknew Ciy, to Greed Island, to The Republic of East Gorteau, to the World Tree, which is the place where the anime has ended. I haven't caught up on the manga yet, but the next place we visit is The Dark Continent from what I've heard. I can't wait to see where the next chapter in Gon's story takes us.

Power System:
No. I will not be explaining Nen. It is WAY too complicated to even try to explain. However, despite it's complexity, Nen is one of the most creative power systems in anime and manga. There are so many things that Nen can be used for. Some examples include:
-Gon's Jajanken Stance
-Killua's Lightning
- Leorio's Portals
-Kurapika's Chains
-Isaac Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva (good luck pronouncing that)
-Meruem Simply Existing
The list goes on and on. The sheer diversity of abilities makes the characters so interesting to watch, because you'll never know when or how they'll get a major powerup. If you want a full in depth explanation of what Nen is, just look up a video on YouTube.
By the way, just want to let you know that HxH has been around for longer than One Piece. It's amassed a very large and dedicated fanbase that always supports the series. Despite how long it's been around, NOBODY UNDERSTANDS HOW NEN WORKS. I'll be posting a link to a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCk7ebI7Vk4
Good luck and may your brain rest in peace. Understanding Nen is more difficult than getting into college.

That about wraps it up for the pros of Hunter x Hunter. At leas what I can think of off the top of my head. Now let's move on to the one con.

Con:

Hiatus:
This is my one and only problem with Hunter x Hunter as a series. As I mentioned before, Hunter x Hunter has been around since 1997, and has inspired many other mangaka (e.g. Masashi Kishimoto basing the design of the Sharingan off of Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes). There's no denying that HxH has staying power, as people are still talking about it to this day. However, due to the health of the author, Yoshihiro Togashi, being in decline, the series has had exstensive hiatuses since 2006. As much as the series is absolutely incredible, the mangaka needs to take care of himself. Despite HxH returning from hiatus recently, he pulled HxH from Weekly Shounen Jump and is probably going to move it to something like Shounen Jump+ or Shounen Jump Advanced, which usually release series on a monthly basis. I will always love Hunter x Hunter. It's my favorite SJ title of all time and no matter how long it takes, I hope we get to see it finish. It's probably gonna take like 50 years, but eventually it has to end. Don't let the series being on hiatus dissuade you from trying it out. Definitely give it a shot!

Closing Remarks:
I really don't have much else to say. From characters, to world building, to the intricate power system, it's a masterpiece. I'm going to end this review with a quote from the anime:

"You Should Enjoy The Little Detours To The Fullest. Because That's Where You'll Find Things More Important Than What You Want."
-Ging Freecs, Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Overall Rating: 10/10