Review of Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter (2011), based on the manga "Hunter x Hunter" by Togashi is a 148 episode long anime, not rarely is said to be the greatest shounen of all time. It's widely popular, and with its lovable cast it became a must watch for anyone who's getting into anime. So, how does it hold up? First things first, Hunter x Hunter is quite misleading. With its lighthearted soundtrack, joyful atmosphere and a male lead that might as well be radiating hapiness, the first arc leads you to believe that this show is the furthest thing from horrific you could think of. And it keeps upthat spirit for quite some time, but as you dive deeper and deeper into the show, the arcs grow increasingly moody. Deaths are no longer trivialised, and you can actually feel the main cast being threatened. Eventually you will reach the famous "Chimera Ant" arc, and you'll come to realise that none of that joyful atmosphere the show had gathered at the start will be left. The show has transcended into a dark fantasy, with chance of death ever looming.
All of this aids in the establishment of this show's strongest part: its cast. Killua and Gon make two fantastic lead characters, and I find it hard to believe anyone wouldn't appreciate these two. Gon's self righteous, yet goodhearted nature and Killua's familial roots clash perfectly. They're instruments, used to show the viewers how much these two grow together and what kind of bond they have. Other cast members include Kurapika, Leorio and Hisoka: All of which are likable, established and interesting characters. Hisoka in particular with him being Gon's mentor alongside the anime's villain.
Take everything I’ve said above and coat it in fantastic production vialues. That’s what Hunter x Hunter is really like at its peak. While the art isn't always top tier, it seems to do its jobs and during the necessary action sequences, the animators went to extra lengths to add that bit of finesse. Madhouse did a fantastic job adapting this, and I have nothing but praise for them.
So far I'm full of praise, but I did actually have some major issues with this show. With the chimera ant arc taking up 60 episodes, which is more than a third of the total runtime, I feel obliged to comment on it. Regardless of whether you love or hate it, it's hard to deny the impact this arc alone had on the series. The way I see it, the chimera ant arc was necessary for the show to distinguish itself from other shounen, but I found it to be very inconsistent. Oftentimes I found myself staring at the screen impatiently while they gave screentime to another character I did not care about. All to find out they were going to do this for 5 more episodes before finally giving the two characters I wanted to see a minute of development.
Don't get me wrong, this show's highest peaks all happen in the Chimera Ant arc and they are amazing. There are episodes here that will go down as some of the best anime episodes of all time, but this arc managed to bore me more than once. When all is said and done, those boring episodes are just as much part of the show as those amazing ones are. In the end, the Chimera Ant arc is not my favourite part of the show and at times reminded me of Overlord season 2 with the way it treated its viewers.
In conclusion, Hunter x Hunter is a quality show. It has a cast with two of my favourite leads of all time, and is fantastic at slowly making the show more and more unnerving with horrific scenery, which is highlighted by the show's high quality art and sound. However, the Chimera Ant arc at times bored me unlike any other arc in this show and I can't dismiss that.
Final verdict: 7.5/10 with its main selling points being characters and sound.