HXH (Hunter X Hunter), is about these extraordinary humans called “Hunters” who are well-respect human beings who also have special powers. The story focuses on 4 main characters of which the main character is Gon who has found out his father is alive and is a good Hunter. He makes interesting friends and they take the extremely difficult Hunter exam and pass. They spend the rest of the show fighting villains, finding rare objects and becoming successful. Each character has an excellent character development and has their own share of conflicts and problems.
here’s some quick facts
Anime Status: Completed (148 episodes)
Manga Status: Ongoing (352 chapters)
Animation Studio: Madhouse
Current Manga Arc: Dark Continent
Story
This story begins with a young boy, Gon Freecs who only has one goal, to meet his father. He leaves in order to become a hunter, and to find out what is so amazing about being a hunter that you would even abandon your own kid for. Along the way he makes 3 friends, revenge-seeking Kurapika, doctor-in-training Leorio, and ex-assassin Killua. Now when you are analyzing an anime, an important factor is how good the story is.
One of the key points in this is the fluidity between story arcs. The fluid transitions from one arc to a completely different arc are incredible, take YorkNew and Greed Island for example, one arc dealing with Kurapika challenging the Phantom Troupe to a ‘Video Game’ which Gon and Killua train their nen and try to beat Greed Island is completely amazing, and that’s only one of many fantastic transitions. The story is highly captivating, and makes you feel connected to the characters and their world. The world-building is also done in a way you have no idea what to expect along the journey, which a good anime should make you feel.
Characters
Although HxH’s primary strength lies in its writing, its characters come pretty damn close. HxH has a huge cast of characters. They have quirks, dreams, inner demons, world views and overall, really likable personalities. To top it off, most of them don’t follow generic character archetypes. Although some may initially come across as “generic”, these assumptions are gradually undermined as the series progresses.
If there’s one thing I want to emphasize in the character department it would be the series main villains. When it comes to characters, this is where the show shines the brightest. HxH villains are extremely well-written (with the exception of the Bomber who won’t apply to most of what I’ll say below). Not only are their characterizations independently impressive, they are also distinct from one another; no two villains are the same. This distinctness does not only apply within the series but outside of it. You won’t find another Hisoka, Chrollo or Ant King in any other anime. This is what makes HxH villains so compelling, in addition to having really impressive characterizations, they are also original. Although I excluded one out of the four main villains from most of what I wrote above, all HxH villains do have one thing in common. Each villain strikes fear into audience, the series does a good job of establishing the level of danger these characters bring to the story and our protagonists.
Soundtracks
I could rant about how much I adore the soundtrack all day, especially the character themes, but let’s get analytical. The most impressionable soundtrack for me was Gon’s, Leorio’s, and Hisoka’s theme. Killua’s and Kurapika’s were also really nice but you don’t get to hear it all the time. The soundtrack almost always matches the situation perfectly, except for a few instances. What a lot of people don’t like is that the opening song is the same throughout the entire anime, even though it rotates to the second version of the skiame song usually when a new arc starts. The endings are probably some of my favorite music of all time, with an exception of the 4th ending, which I don’t hate but isn’t particularly my favorite.
Animation
HxH also has great art and animation. The animation is done by Madhouse. It amazes me how a long-running series like HxH delivers consistent quality animation episode after episode, especially during the fights. The series does a great job of capturing facial expressions and everything from the lighting, shading and colors adjust perfectly depending on the mood of the scene or the tone of the arc. As one reviewer (nagaiyume) said, the bright colors of the show might need some getting used to, though it is usually fans of the old series who have this problem. Personally, I think it fits the show perfectly. It adds to the charm of the series by complementing its sense of adventure, uplifting atmosphere and unique appeal as a shonen that looks simple but is actually remarkably deep.
Negatives
However, while HxH is a great series it isn’t perfect. The series doesn’t have a strong start, it takes three episodes for show to get going. I’ve seen a lot of people drop HxH early and it sucks because the first two episodes don’t capture the series at all. Things start to get mildly interesting in the third episode, after that, the series just gets better and better. HxH also suffers from occasional BGM misuse. There are odd sound choices for some scenes. Sometimes they don’t really fit, other times they don’t fit it all. Lastly, the Chimera Ant arc also has minor issues with both Togashi and Madhouse to blame. Togashi’s fault lies in his writing during the middle of the CA arc which I think, pales in comparison to the rest of the series. Madhouse’s fault lies in its adaption of the manga chapters comprising episodes 113 and 115, which were dragged out in order to have episode 116 handled by their best animation team. Episode 113 was actually well paced except for one atrocious sequence while episode 115 as a whole was generally poorly paced.
Conclusion
Hunter x Hunter (2011) is an intelligent battle anime with a fantastic story, excellent characters and fights that involve a lot of strategy. Separating it from most of its genre, the series subverts shonen tropes and boasts unpredictable plot progressions that make it truly unique.
Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed an anime more than Hunter X Hunter (2011). It introduced me to many characters who are some of my all-time favorites. Every arc was completely unpredictable, bringing me new surprises along the way. I can safely say that I might never enjoy something as much as I enjoyed Hunter X Hunter, it’s been quite a ride.
Rating
And here’s the final part! The ratings for this show!
Story:10/10
Characters:9/10
Animation:10/10
Soundtrack:9/10
Enjoyment:10/10
Overall:10/10
Masterpiece!!!!
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