Review of Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter could be described as a revolutionary and unorthodox anime in the sense that it is unpredictable, cunning and intelligent, especially when comparing it to other popular shōnen such as One Piece, Bleach or Naruto. It is a tale which seems to start off as a simple battle shōnen, yet escalates into an unforeseeable development that delves deep into human psychology, death and hope, in addition to being composed of one of the greatest cast of well fleshed out villains, which is very rare to see in the genre itself. It is a must watch for anyone who is acquainted to the medium.It is a show that can arguably boast of having the best arcs presented in shonens, which is an achievement on its own. With that being said, it naturally has its flaws as well which will be illustrated below in addition to its numerous strengths.

~Story~

The premise of Hunter x Hunter is simple in nature, the twelve-year-old Gon Freecs setting out to find his father, who abandoned him as a child to become a Hunter. Trying to understand why his own father abandoned him because of his profession Gon chooses to become one in order to find his father. It is a profession riddled with danger, ranging from tasks such as researching species, capturing criminals, searching for treasures or exploring the unknown. What however makes this anime outstanding is the journey it undertakes towards its conclusion, as many have pointed out, with a compelling narrative and fleshed out characters, fantastic soundtrack and animation. It is an adventure enveloped in friendships and encounters with the likes of Killua, Kurapika and Leorio, in addition to countless hardships and the search of what it actually means to be a hunter, an exploration of oneself.

The narrative is the strongest point of the anime, carrying a powerful analysis of humanity and several messages: to not group people into categories such as evil or good, friendship and the appreciation of the little things in life. Exposition wise, there is an external narrator at times, which explains in more detail several situations, as well as the characters thoughts, which for some may be a drawback. It presents itself with various types of situations seen in other anime such as tournaments, card battles, thriller and psychological ones throughout its duration, which in some cases don't blend in well with the narrative and the atmosphere. In a way, this breaks the immersion in the story as it often The story is structured into seven arcs, some huge, some magnificent, others arguably lackluster in comparison. Viewers may observe a progression into a darker atmosphere, whilst maintaining its moments of cheerfulness. Some of these arc are however far from perfect: plot holes, illogical actions, and plot convenient situations happen as well, together with some progression issues. Nevertheless, these could be easily overlooked as these were intriguing, full of suspense and were unpredictable; these can be brutal, where death and mayhem is present.

The pacing of the narrative is overall well done, hardly ever having stretched or rushed scenes, although later on it is apparent that some episodes were affected by these to accommodate the battle intense animation scenes. This affects mostly some episodes in the Chimera Ant arc. The first batch of episodes are mainly dedicated to the introduction of different characters and their respective goals, as well as slowly giving the viewer an image of how the world of Hunter x Hunter might be shaped. Furthermore, as story progresses, more is shown, which is actually quite interesting, as it is pretty unconventional. Being based on current human civilization with all the different flavours within, the flora is much more exotic, with huge trees, which could be said about the fauna as well. Audiences may attribute it to the likes of Dragon Ball in its variety. In addition, there are many places inaccessible for the common folk, only restricted to hunters due to the dangers within that region, which creates a lot potential for the author to work with.

As mentioned earlier, as the story develops, it begins displaying the different things in the world, such as the introduction of "Nen", social structure, a great variety of characters including villains, the different political factions within the Hunter Association and naturally, the adventure of the protagonists. However, when the anime begins to explore the psychological aspect, it is where it shines: it dedicates itself to the analysis of humanity and their nature as a species, as well as themes as cynicism and hope, whilst increasing the characterisation of its cast. These aspect are conveyed through the representation of dictatorship (which audiences may see some similarities to that of N.Korea), political discrepancies among hunters and the government, you name it. The author manages to portray said elements thoroughly, in addition to showing viewers the true beauty of nature and its infinite potential. Through the characters and their evolution, egoism, individuality, selflessness, loyalty and love are portrayed. It also exposes both ally and foe at their best and worst, enhancing the overall experience of the show.

Finally, another important aspect to consider is the battles that are executed alongside the story and its respective techniques and exploration. These are wonderfully relayed to the viewer, being well paced, intense and unpredictable. Another positive aspect is that said abilities are obtained through rigorous training (comparing it to other shōnens), which nearly eliminates the occurrence of power ups and "asspulls". What comes as a surprise however is that the main protagonists are susceptible to defeat, and are not the necessarily the strongest characters in the anime. In fact, the protagonists experience defeat on numerous occasions, creating much more tension when the fighting starts. Nen is also introduced in the anime, which could be considered a superpower to the likes of Chakra or Devil Fruits, or the famous Ki from Dragon Ball.

What makes Nen interesting is the endless variety within. What however stands out, which in turn makes Hunter x Hunter somewhat unique, is that the battles are not solely dependent on raw power: intellectual cunning is heavily relied on. It ultimately proposes what true strength really means: power? Intelligence? Speaking of Nen and power ups, the anime sadly suffers some issues, affecting in particular some rules introduced with regards to Nen and its abilities, which was a rather big drawback. This was especially the case when the story was nearing its conclusion, having managed to create an atmosphere where stakes were high, Nen could suddenly be used to obtain ridiculous amount of power, leaving audiences thinking why all the other characters (antagonists in particular) didn't do the same.

~Characters~

The story of Hunter x Hunter wouldn't be as well crafted without its numerous characters. First of all, let me begin by mentioning that even though they may come over as typical archetypes, these are well-developed characters, especially the main protagonists. Another thing to note is the fact that most characters are susceptible to death, although positive, sometimes is not well executed. This is the case when some characters are introduced, only to shortly afterwards die without any character progression whatsoever, leaving viewers most of the time indifferent. Maybe another thing to note is the fact that the female cast takes a background position: males are of importance.

The characters that undergo most character development are definitely Gon and Killua. Gon has a cheerful and positive personality, in addition to being egotistical, yet it is clear that he is smart as well; characterised by the use of his fishing rod, he uses strategies that are tied to this, such as sneak attacks, hit and run, you name it, which is quite unconventional. As the story progresses, viewers observe how he grows and get to know his values and personality, seeing his deep affection with life and that of his friends. This deep-rooted loyalty to his friends causes him to cast aside his humanity in one instance. As for Killua, he could be considered the most interesting character, as he undergoes the biggest character development in the whole show. He has a dark past, entangled with his family: he knows no love, nor friendship, he only knows superficial joy. It is apparent that throughout the series he begins to see the bright side of life, in particular that of unconditional friendship, especially during the Chimera arc, where he plays a central role.

The exploration of other characters such as Leorio or Kurapika are very weak in comparison. A lot of potentiallly interesting characters are relaid to the viewers, yet most of them are left unexplored, or are either forgotten. There are several chaarcters that stand out, yet one should be mentioned, and that is Netero, which no one could ever forget. A cheerful old man, yet very strong, both in his conviction and skills, who lives to acquire the ultimate power. Other characters of interest are Knuckle, seen as a typical "delinquent" of the 90's as well as Morel McCarnthy. The Zoldyck family is certainly of interest as well, as these are composed of a great variety of interesting characters, and will play important roles in the events to come.

Where the anime really shines character wise is in its villains. The villains as a whole can be described as varied, with motives and values. Almost every single one of them is fantastically fleshed out, caring for their companions, which is so rare to see in shōnen counterparts. As mentioned earlier, the anime proposes to not categorise people into evil or good, which can be appreciated through the phantom troupe, which may seem at first as remorseless killers. This is however clearly visible are the chimera ants, as these may seem "evil" for humanity, yet these only act according to nature, which in turn draws parallels with how humans treat other species. In addition, the story often focuses on these characters, rather than the main protagonists who at times take supporting roles, carefully showing the viewer their personalities, as well as developing them through the numerous situations and own struggles with their beliefs. This is especially apparent in both the Yorkshin and Chimera Ant arcs. Villains of note are: Hisoka, the crazy battle hungry clown, the phantom troupe and its respective members, as well as the numerous members of the chimera ants.

~Animation and sound~

While the characters design can be seen as childish and may be a drawback for some, it has a great distinctive cast of characters, which is a huge bonus. This is in addition to the different unimportant characters that have distinctive designs as well. It must be mentioned that some character's design is lacking, in the sense that those are nearly exact copies of iconic characters such as Cell from Dragon Ball. Speaking of animation, it is done by the studio Madhouse. It is very fluid, in addition to its combat scenes, as well as correctly conveying the emotional states of the characters through detailed facial expressions. Backgrounds are well drawn and varied, often befitting of the setting.

The voice actors performed their roles well, easily conveying the personalities of each different character. What however stands out is its soundtrack, which is varied and suited the atmosphere it is trying to portray: drums, electric guitar, simple sounds, orchestra, there is really a lot of variety. It must be noted that some of these are either overused or wrongly implemented in some situations.

~Enjoyment~

Hunter x Hunter was overall a fantastic experience, with its gripping storyline, characters and soundtracks. Although the story was very gripping, it also had its share of flaws, and some big ones at that, especially when nearing its conclusion. The interactions with the cast are smart and never dragged out either. Furthermore, it is interesting to see how many of its ideas were implemented later on in series such as Naruto for example. Nevertheless, the well paced narrative, well fleshed out villains and its unorthodox approach to its execution, alongside with its psychological aspects, make it easily one of the most entertaining shōnens out there, which in turn made it very easy to watch a lot of episodes in a session. Hunter x Hunter is highly recommended to anyone who likes shōnens. At face value it seems like it's targeted to younger audiences, yet the underlying depth to the characters/story will only be appreciated by older audiences.

Thank you for reading.

-Special thanks to the fellow user OnTheShore for proofreading and pointing out mistakes made.