Review of Hunter x Hunter
(Spoilers incoming) Just to preface this, I never thought I'd have a favorite anime until I watched Hunter X Hunter. Story: 10/10. HxH pulls off the most versatile plots I've ever seen. In one arc, we'll be immersed in a tournament arc watching Gon and Killua developing their powers throughout interesting battles. In another, we'll have a high intensity crime thriller where Kurapika chases down an intriguing band of thieves for revenge. Or, we'll just be thrown into a high stakes war between humanity and a band of mutant creatures, the Chimera Ants; yet while we might expect a showcase of battles and war, wealso get a masterful handling of themes dealing with the nature of humanity, mixed with some of the greatest character development in fictional history.
While HxH's arcs seem to be disjoint from one another in purpose and focus, they all serve to enhance our characters and their motivations, as well as introduce equally intriguing and relevant characters along the way. No one character steals the spotlight for all of HxH; rather, the world of HxH is the true star, and the characters, albeit interesting forces in their own right, also serve as catalysts to introduce us to the amazing situations and challenges within the world itself. HxH manages to reinvent itself with every arc, while still maintaining a firm grasp on what it wants to be.
It should be said that the battle system underlying HxH, Nen, is perhaps the most structured and consistent battle system in shonen. Many shonen suffer from the problems of no tangible power ceiling or power creep, thereby losing a sense of how strong its characters are as the series progresses and not presenting enough tension within a situation, i.e. if a stronger opponent comes, all you need to do is punch harder and acquire more energy to win. HxH's Nen system turns battles into a test of cunning, strategy and wit, where victory relies on what abilities you have and how you use them rather than how hard you can kick or throw an energy blast. As one of the characters puts it himself, it's foolish to think you know who'll win in a battle among Nen users, because such a battle relies more on just physical prowess.
Lastly, HxH is probably the most original shonen to date, subverting our expectations of shonen tropes. Togashi most definitely adheres to the philosophy that "It's all about the journey, not the destination". Admittedly, each arc ends in a rather anticlimactic way, so much so we end up asking "What was all that for?". Yet that's exactly the point; what we expected we wanted to see wasn't necessarily what made the experience. The journey we took to get there, the people we met, the characters that grew along the way; all of that is what truly mattered at the end, and Togashi masterfully showcases this sentiment in HxH.
Art: 10/10. For a long running shonen, HxH is simply phenomenal. It offers the most consistent, high quality animation and artwork in every episode. There was never a dip in quality, and every fight was of the highest calibre. Madhouse really outdid themselves here.
Sound: 10/10. HxH exhibits one of the greatest soundtracks to date in modern anime. Each arc has its own set of OSTs, and the OSTs range from reminiscent of classical opera to high-intensity, thrilling action music. The voice acting in HxH is also phenomenal, featuring a versatile cast that are known for many other big roles.
Character: 10/10. Aside from the interesting situations and environments we encounter, the characters themselves are perhaps the strongest element within the show. Most characters in HxH offer something new and refreshing to the show, without adhering to the typical shonen stereotypes. What is truly great about these characters, however, is how organic and realistic they are; whenever they act, it doesn't feel like they're by-the-book shonen characters doing the same thing countless other such characters have done before. for example, Gon might try to protect his friends and save others, but he'll just as easily threaten someone's life to get what he wants; he isn't like other protagonists we've seen, where he forgives an enemy just because he's the 'good guy'. Togashi shows us that his characters are people like us, and they can't uphold an idealistic worldview in every situation they face.
Where Togashi shines the most is in his crafting of his villains, and let me tell you, the antagonists in HxH are some of the best I've seen in anime to date. Meruem, my favorite anime villain of all time, represents a gold standard for character development in terms of one who transforms from a sadistic animal to a being that exhibits humanity; Hisoka is a being of pure unpredictability and intrigue, a bizarre entity that can be either friend or foe, and thereby keeps the audience on their toes unable to guess what he'll do next; Chrollo is a rather reserved yet determined man, putting forth a strong philosophy of the Spider while not knowing what he truly wants (and his powers reflect this, as he steals the abilities of others, perhaps in an attempt to find himself?). Of course, not every villain in HxH is this profound (Genthru, for instance, isn't a bad villain but he's a pretty stereotypical variant of the sadistic psychopath), but most of the antagonists in HxH will intrigue you, even more so than the 'heroes' of the show. While our heroes offer complexity to the narrative, the villains just as much serve to complement our heroes and offer a novel take on the themes present within the arc. Meruem, for instance, parallels Gon's own journey through the CAA, and both characters together really showcase the potential of humanity to cause great destruction and great evolution. There is a symbiosis between the character's own development and the progression of the arcs, and it's safe to say a character at the start of an arc won't necessarily be the same person he was at the end of that same arc.
Enjoyment: 10/10. From start to finish, I enjoyed HxH immensely. The first few episodes do little to showcase how brilliant the anime becomes, and although I might be one of the few who actually enjoyed the first arc, after episode 30 or so, it's pretty hard to not be interested in the events that ensue as new elements are added to the story and the narrative transitions from its initially bright overtones to a more dark, yet intriguing atmosphere. Each arc also offers something novel within, from the arc's plot to the characters introduced, to how the already established characters grow and develop.
An especially important point to commend HxH for is in how protagonists don't gain special treatment just because they're special characters in the show. Many times, we see Gon and Killua face defeat, and even by the end of HxH, they aren't even comparable to some of the upper mid-tier to high-tier hunters. Because of this, we never know when Gon and Killua will face defeat, and when they do, it makes for an incredible potential for growth and development (especially in the CAA).
Overall: 10/10. HxH is a must-watch for shonen fans, one of the few anime that isn't afraid to break traditional stereotypes to showcase something new and different. From the heroes to the villains, from being a show about exciting fights and great powers to a show delving into mature themes and ideas, HxH excels in every degree. This isn't to say the show isn't without flaws; as mentioned before, the first arc is perhaps the weakest of the whole show. Also, the Chimera Ant Arc has caused quite a stir among those who've watched the show. Many consider this arc the best shonen has to offer, but some put it down due to its slower style pacing and less action, more introspection take on things. To each their own, but I think it's important to say HxH doesn't try to be a generic shonen, and that's what makes it truly special; within the CAA, we see Togashi try to subvert our expectations of battle shonen by blending the lines between 'good' and 'bad', and crafting villains that change along with our heroes, such that the arc is perhaps a literary achievement in developing characters and situations in an organic, novel way.
When you finish HxH, you'll be left wanting more, and unfortunately, this might not happen. Togashi is known for taking very long hiatuses, and although the current arc in the manga has the potential to be one of the best HxH has to offer, it's not certain that it'll be finished any time soon. Yet with what we have, I can say for certain HxH offers more than enough to stand out as one of the best of its time, a thrilling adventure focused not only on being the best shonen it can be, but also a heartwarming, fascinating tale of heroes, villains, and the intriguing world of Hunters. The show itself puts forth a quote that explains the HxH experience perfectly:
“You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want.”