Review of Hunter x Hunter

I would, without a doubt in my mind, name hunter x hunter the pinnacle of the adventure genre. It was a long but outstanding watch that I would re-experience in a heartbeat and recommend to anyone looking to go on a journey. STORY: 10/10 Split into perfect length arcs and ending on a note that feels like the conclusion, even though the manga is still ongoing :(, this story is one of a kind. Beginning on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, our enigmatic protagonist goes out of his comfort zone alone in order to explore the world and find his elusive father. Every arcgets darker, more interesting and delves deeper into the world building, story, politics and characters. The seamless connections between arcs is something I've never seen any other anime live up to and the escalation of power from arc to arc just gets you more excited for what's to come. The Chimera Ant Arc is either deemed the worst part of the serious, taking up about 60 of the episodes, or a masterpiece within a masterpiece. I would contend that by itself, it is indeed just a slowly paced and lengthy story, but as an aspect of the rest of the show is where the arc shines. The character arcs of Gon and Killua come to fantastic tensions within the arc, and watching their characters grow to fruition afterwards filled me with joy. And besides that, the overall plot of the arc introduced the audience to some of the large-scale politics within this world. It brings into perspective how big the world we're watching really is, which is something that I think hunter x hunter coined for adventure, personally. True adventure is feeling as though you will never stop discovering new parts of the world to explore, which hxh proves to us in ever arc with increasing creativity. I honestly feel like I can't encapsulate my thoughts on the story within one simple review, because there's just too much to talk about. The only way to really understand the experience is to watch it yourself.

Art: 10/10
It might not be my favourite art ever, but not only is the general style just so easy and pleasing on the eyes, certain scenes just grip you with the tension from the art on the screen, so it would be wrong of me to give it anything other than a 10.

SOUND: 10/10
I'm not really an expert of sound, it's definitely more of background noise than something I actively take notice towards, but I can certainly recognise some of the soundtrack outside of watching the show. In moments of tension and angst, it does a fantastic job of reflecting that on the audience through the sound, likewise in happy and lighthearted scenes too. Hisoka's theme is also quite memorable and always makes me cringe whenever I hear due to the association with the character, which I think is a job well done, especially since it encapsulates his chaotic nature so well. But my favourite aspect of the sound is the opening theme. I have never skipped 'depature' in 148 epsides of watching; not once. It never gets old. Also, the endings were very well done as well and I always made time to listen to the one in the Chimera Ant Arc.

CHARACTER: 10/10
I know that this part of the overall story is focused on Gon and Killua since the manga is now focused on Kurapika and Leorio more, but oh my lord. The character arcs of these two. There are out of this world. What began as a simple fun and pure friendship where these two adolescent boys cared for each other slowly transformed, throughout the series, into a brotherhood that each of them would kill to protect. But it isn't even as simple as that.
[SPOILERS]
It became clear in the beginning of chimera ant arc that Gon and Killua had different priorites, and it was heartbreaking to see Killua do everything in his power to keep Gon alive and safe while Gon was fighting relentlessly for the sake of revenge. It felt like the entire arc was Killua on 'Gon damage control', which came to a climax when Gon went insane with vengence and forced Killua to watch as he destroyed himself in front of him. And even after that Killua still sacrificed everything to get Gon back in one piece. All throughout the arc we never see this devotion reciprocated and although it hurts to see them part at the end, we know that Killua needed time to take care of himself after all the trauma he went through for his friend, and to be with someone who cares as much to him as they do about him. It was sad but it was necessary and I loved the way that Killua came into himself by the end. Even Gon going through the trauma of losing a friend because he left him and losing himself to that despair; he went from being an innocent kid who didn't want to hurt anyone, to someone who destroyed himself for revenge. And after all that, we see him come to terms with the fact that he can't save everyone even if he somehow succeeded this time.
[SPOILERS OVER SORRY JUST NEEDED TO SAY THAT]
Aside from those two perfect characters, Kurapika and, towards the end mostly, Leorio were also done quite well, especially the eeriness of Kurapika's unrelenting grief. The villians, I suppose Hisoka encapsulates them, are exquisite. Every villain feels like a human being and in every fight scene you are allowed to sympathise with them, and it's fantastic to be a part of. The side characters have unusual depth and although I'm not overly passionate about them, their death's have genuine impact. Overall, the characters are very well done.

ENJOYMENT: 10/10
I had an absolute rollercoaster of emotions throughout this and I can confidently say this was one of the most intriguing and entertaining series I've ever watched, without a doubt. The angst, the tension, the humour, the joy, the tears and laughter: hunter x hunter has it all and I am 100% here for it all.

OVERALL: 10/10
Just watch it. I know it's long but it's worth it. Anyone who rates this less than a 10 is just salty about the length. It's the epitome of adventure and the greatest world I've ever witnessed come to life. Please just watch it.