Review of Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter 2011 is a show that I am eager to talk about not only about the actual content within it's quite daunting 148 episodes, but also because of the stigma against long-running shounen series. It's easy to stray away from these types of shows because of the effect that other shows grouped into the same demographic and genre have on it. I was of the consensus that if you have seen one, you have seen them all. Dense main lead where all he wants to do is become the strongest in the world, every single female having at least DD breast size, theone exception who has a small chest size for comic relief, etc. Hunter x Hunter 2011 is interesting to talk about, for me especially, as it almost completely takes this stigma and punches it to the outreaches of the cosmos.
Gon Freecs is a boy from the secluded Whale Island, and has high aspirations to become a Hunter to find his father who left him at a young age to persue his own Hunter related dreams.
While this is Gon's main focus of becoming a hunter, the focus the anime is the various experiences and people Gon meets throughout his journey. The lack of focus on the end goal keeps the journey fresh and exciting during the whole runtime of the anime. One of the biggest positives of Hunter x Hunter 2011 is that it utilizes its 148 episodes to it's utmost potential. Each story arc and character, even a lot of the really minor ones get a lot of characterization and development. Even greater of a feat is that all of these characters and story arcs still manage to capture a general feel of adventure and wonder. You can't point to a specific arc or episode and say "That isn't Hunter x Hunter", even if that arc or episode could be focusing on completely different things from the last.
Another thing that the long runtime of Hunter x Hunter 2011 allows is for a gradual buildup of it's more darker themes that arise later on in the series. With all the time spent with the main cast during the tonally lighter earlier episodes, you can't help but get emotional when shit starts hitting the fan later on. And all of this could not have been possible without any other lead protagonist.
I can't think of any other character that would fit the lead role of Hunter x Hunter 2011 better than Gon Freecs. His optimistic and sometimes naiive personality work incredibly well in both the lighter and darker moments of this anime. When you see him excited about something and he gives off a massive smile, you can't help but smile with him, and vice versa. Viewing the world of Hunter x Hunter through his eyes makes the show feel more like you are on the adventures that himself and his friends are on rather than simply watching it on a screen. Gon works so well with the show because of his simplicity in both design and and personality, since Hunter x Hunter as a whole is a simple extremely well executed show.
Killua Zoldyck is a harder character to talk about simply because he is more complex than Gon. The relationship between Killua and Gon is one of the main focuses of the show, and it pays off extremely well. Their personalities are so different, but their relationship feels so natural in both the intense and comedic moments of this anime. Killua himself arguably has even better character development than Gon, but I won't go into any of that for spoiler reasons. Killua gets a lot of screen time as well as Gon, and as much as I like Gon as a character, Killua is a very welcome addition as he adds an extra viewpoint to any given situation that Gon's personality simply does not lend himself to. Killua's more analytical ways at looking at most everything adds more dimensions to the topic at hand, which was greatly appreciated.
It would probably take me a full day of writing to talk about all the amazing side characters in Hunter x Hunter 2011. The ones that are meant to be focused on are focused on enough for me to be satisfied with almost all of them, which is a big accomplishment considering the sheer size of the supporting cast.
The group that I will talk about in most detail will be the villians. The Phantom Troupe, The Chimera Ant King and his Royal Guard, Illumi Zoldyck, Hisoka, all of them are amazing villians for their arcs. The only villian, and really the only character in the whole show who was underwhelming was the Bomber from the Greed Island arc, but even he had some degree of complexity to him. These are some of the most enjoyable villians I have seen in a long time, and I'm not really going to say anything about them as you should experience them, and the whole show, in your own viewing time.
Honestly, I would expect that during 148 episodes, the quality of animation would drop at least a few times during it's runtime, and even though it's Studio Madhouse we are talking about, it's still amazing that they managed to keep the level of quality high from episode 1 to 148. Granted, the animation never really reaches an extreme high point except for one amazing fight scene rather early on, but it's still worth commending.
Another random point I would like to add is the emphasis of strategy rather than brute strength in the world of Hunter x Hunter. Strength is still very much an asset, but it was thoroughly enjoyable to see thoughts running through various characters' heads as they think about every possible explanation for what may be occurring at the time.
The soundtrack is, again, of very high quality. Not the best I have ever heard, but certainly up there. My favourite tracks are the probably the more upbeat ones from the earlier parts of the show, but each track fits the part of the show that it is meant to fit. The OP, even though it never changed once for 148 episodes, is still as high octane and energetic as ever, and even some of the ED's piqued my interest.
Lastly, big credits for the voice actors and actresses. Some of the best voice work I have heard pretty much ever, especially with Megumi Han as Gon Freecs. Amazing work from everyone in the voice cast.
Throughout this review, I have been giving almost unanimous praise throughout, but that's because I simply couldn't find many important flaws in Hunter x Hunter 2011. Everything from the narrative buildup to the characters to the animation and sound was handled so well that it's hard to not fall in love with this show. The best praise I can give Hunter x Hunter 2011 is that it makes 148 episodes feel like 26 or even 13 episodes. Not the best thing that anime has to offer, but pretty damn close. One of the few shows that I would consider essential viewing for any consistent anime fan out there.