Review of Hunter x Hunter
I'd been meaning to write a review of Hunter X Hunter for a long time. Since I've noticed that there are two types of reviewers for this anime: the ones who gave it a 10 and praises it endlessly and the edgy ones who gave it a 1 just because they're different. I'll try to be as objective as I can using the standards used in any form of fiction. Story: 7 I've seen a lot of people that praises Hunter X Hunter in its subversion of tropes in completely going to different routes than what you initially expected for a supposedly typical "shounen". What I seehere isn't subversion but Togashi having no clear goal and path for the story. He doesn't have a clear plan and just pulls out several stories along the way. A lot of writers do that but the problem arises when the narrative structure is inconsistent, several tonal shifts, and when there is lacking in climax and falling action. You might say Hunter Exam arc is the intro and Election arc is the falling action.
But what noticeable instead is the lack of coherence from arc to arc.
The essential of Zoldyck family arc and Heaven's arena arc to the whole plot. But what is the plot really? It's non-existent. Hunter X Hunter is an anthology of several short stories connected together by a thin piece of thread that doesn't make sense as a whole. Did we see the chimera ants coming, back when we're watching the Hunter exam arc? Some reviewers define it subversion or plot twist, I see it as a different story not connected to the story as a whole. The same can be said to Yorknew City arc and all of the other arcs with an exception to Greed Island arc (despite the point of the entire arc is childish and dull), it bridges the story to Chimera ant arc.
There is lack in build up or foreshadowing that would make you say things completely make sense to go to that route. Like how Arlong arc builds up to Fishman Island arc and Reverie of One Piece. Or how the season 1 of Attack on Titan build up what's going to happen to Marley arc.
Togashi instead write another short story to add to his piles of short stories, that doesn't make the previous arc necessary to the next. Even Jojo with its several parts is more coherent than this. The initial goal of Gon and the whole story is supposedly to make Ging proud as a hunter but now that Ging accepted Gon, Togashi pulled out the Dark Continent arc and instead of wrapping up he stretches the story more. It reminded me of Pain arc from Naruto where Kishimoto reached the entire point of the series only to stretch it out instead. Thus, Hunter X Hunter had no clear ending 'till now because Togashi just really had no plan for the entire series.
Characters: 6
As I said there is definite lack of coherence in Hunter X Hunter, Togashi writes several short stories and pulled a rubber band to pile it up. It also resulted to characters' lack of personalities, world view, and beliefs. No one in the entire series had been flesh-out, explored, and internally challenged except for Meruem. The main characters Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika had been sidelined 85% of the story. Casual anime watchers don't know anything about them beside their basic concepts. Kurapika for example should be the center of Yorknew city arc but instead of giving him his proper screen time to understand his motivations, how huge deal being a hunter is for him, and make us emotionally invested to his character - it gave the viewers a cheap, unsatisfactory conclusion to his character.
Hisoka is another side character that I don't understand the purpose to the show, how convenient it is that he wasn't part of the whole Chimera arc. Most of the minor characters back from the Hunter exam arc to Greed Island arc are all plot devices for power scaling. So when they served their purpose as an entity for Killua and Gon to defeat, they're disposed in Chimera arc to AGAIN power scale Mereum, Netero, and the rest of remaining strong characters. They don't add any value to the story except for POWER SCALING. So instead of empathising with their deaths, the viewers are only left horrified instead of being emotionally invested.
Animation, Sound, Art: 9-9-9
The animation, sound, and art completely depicts what it's trying to aim for.
Enjoyment: 9
Despite the lack of coherence of the non-existent plot and its bland characters, each arc is still enjoyable on its own. More impactful than any current anime releases.
Overall: 8
The problems I presented can be easily brush off, and not as bad as other people make it out to be. I would not say it's overrated but I also wouldn't say it's the best anime. This is still preferable than Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.