Hunter x Hunter - the Definitive Review
"The history of Gon Freecs, a boy who left home alone to become a Hunter. In the hard test, Gon meets Leorio, Kurapika and Killua."
- IMDB
All the characters were interesting. That’s it. That’s all any story needs to anchor my attention. There’s really not too much to say about Gon and that’s only because if you watch the show, literally every other character has at least 2 inner monologues per episode about how special he is. They’re right of course. Gon is just insanely likeable and I love the way he looks at the world and solves problems. He really is unique amongst everyone else in the show. Kurapika..... I wanna know more about him. I’ll get into it later, but Kurapika is extremely clever and when him and Gon put their minds together, they’re unstoppable. Leorio is actually interesting because he really got through the Exam through sheer dumb luck. But it’s fun to have a charismatic guy like him around acting like the dad of the group. I would’ve loved to see him grow stronger as he had potential to go from underdog to beast. Killua was by far the most interesting character out of the main 4. His arc and development were so dimensional given his background. I really loved that moment when he wanted to kill the injured cub. That was a huge turning point in his character as a child who was raised to be a killing machine being taught that there’s more to life than just death. When it comes to Antagonists, no question Hisoka was the most interesting. With his abilities he just seemed untouchable, and that made him scary. Not to mention his psychopathic aura and creepy smile. He’s definitely one of those characters that’s not on one side or the other, just his own. So I can totally imagine him killing his allies for fun, or helping our protagonists to benefit him.
Going into the story, The Hunter exam took about half the series to complete. And it was an interesting concept for sure. Trick Tower and the Hunger Games portions were the most fun to watch. And the final exam played out in an interesting way. The Hunter Exam also emphasized the tone of story, which is quite polarizing. In my mind I compare hunter x hunter to last airbender when it comes to tone but it’s way darker than last airbender given the level of gore. People die, sometimes brutally. But Gon is there to make it feel like we’re still in a kid’s show.
I was obsessed with the Zuldac Family arc. Assassins are just my thing. And the whole family and their property and their employees had a distinct culture within the land’s walls and it was fun to learn about. This was followed by Gon and Killua’s Heaven’s Arena experience. This is when we learned about Nen and auras and stuff. This concept helped explain Hisoka’s abilities a bit more. It also helped Gon level up as well, which he already did when he trained to open the Zoldac door. The whole arc was a training montage just drawn out and slow burned through many episodes, but it was all good fun. There was also a moment in Gon’s arc when he became obsessed with training and it made the teacher believe he was creating a monster out of Gon, given that he was gaining a lot of power really fast. I don’t know, I think beast mode Gon would be fun to watch.
Heaven’s Arena also played the part as filler build up to the York New City auction, which... unfortunately the original anime ends on. Now the whole auction arc was intense. We finally see the Spiders in action, even seeing Killua’s father and grandfather on the job because of it. All really epic, but then it just ended.... and I was disappointed. So many arcs were left incomplete. Gon’s dad & Kurapika’s scarlet eyes quest were not even close to being complete. It’s like how I felt at the end of Evangelion and Berserk. I enjoyed all 3 animes every second completely engulfed and mesmerized up until the final moments or episodes. However, from my understanding, the remake goes further than the original, at least twice as long, so I’m already making plans to watch it. I’m actually excited to watch the remake. Hunter x Hunter has already proven itself to be a great story with wonderful characters and the original left me craving more.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
"Gon Freecss aspires to become a Hunter, an exceptional being capable of greatness. With his friends and his potential, he seeks out his father, who left him when he was younger."
- IMDB
First of all, going the through the exam was so nostaligic and just made me really happy. Seeing the og squad again, trick tower, the hunger games – all exactly as I remember. They cut out the entire shipwreck phase for some reason. I really liked that phase of the exam so I was a little upset by this. I also think they cut out a lot of fluff because I swear the hunter exam arc is several episodes shorter than it originally was. That seems to be the trend for this remake as I’ve noticed some other plot points cut out throughout the remade episodes, but at the the end of the day, the cuts did not harm the story or pacing overall – dare I say improved it.
It was also great seeing Gon take Hisoka’s badge again. That triumphant feeling hyped me up all the way to the Heaven’s arena arc which, again, seemed mostly exactly the same and still equally enjoyable. Between the exam and the arena was the Zuldac family arc – which I think they cut too much. I don’t know, it just felt really short and I rather enjoyed it the first time around.
Then we get to the York New City arc. This is when the plot really picks up. We are introduced to the Spiders and chaos ensues. I went back and skipped through the original final episode – the original anime ended right after the Zuldacs fought Chrollo. Kurapika obtained the scarlet eyes and then reunited with his friends..... And that’s it. Comparing my disappointment to the moment I realized I was actually seeing new content...... phew I finally made it! The fact that the original anime just ended in the middle of the arc like that made me realize just how thankful we should all be that they decided to come back to the series. And as the York New City arc ends, the Spiders 3 members down, Chrollo unable to use nen, This is no longer a remake. This is new content. This..... is Hunter x Hunter. The definitive version.
Greed Island
So not only did the original anime end in the middle of what ends up being my favorite arc, but literally nothing came out of Gon’s search for his father. Why the Spiders action was picking up in York New City, Gon literally spent episodes looking for him. Needless to say, the Greed Island Arc was very satisfying. I don’t have much to say honestly. I enjoyed it like everything else but I don’t have any strong opinions about it. I really enjoyed Hisoka’s scenes here most of all. It was a bit of a let down when Gon did all that to beat the game and still didn’t get to his dad, but I knew there were a lot of episodes left so I didn’t mind. However....
The Chimera Ant arc....
It’s literally like a third of the series.... And I am NOT all for it. The story had a strong beginning and a strong end. There were definitely some phenomenal moments but overall... a weak story to me... There were definitely episodes where there was too much talking and I feel like the great pacing is lost as this arc just feels like it drags and drags. It was great to hear Ben Diskin as Knuckle.... Yeah that’s a voice I haven’t heard him use before lol. And the Chairman’s final blow.... that woke me up real quick. When I realized it wasn’t for nothing and he indeed sacrificed himself to end the war.... dang. That was good stuff.
The thing is – if this Chimera Ant arc was it’s own anime, I would’ve enjoyed it more. But Gon & Killuah felt like side characters and this whole arc just didn’t feel like Hunter x Hunter. I found myself bored and was ready to move on. And what the heck Gon???? That final move that f-ed him up was such an anime thing to happen. I just rolled my eyes and accepted it. But boy oh boy I had no idea what greatness that moment would lead to...
A New Era
Once the Chimera Ant arc was concluded, the chairman election was the new main focus, we got a new intro and suddenly the show was Hunter x Hunter again and I knew I'd loved. It literally blows my mind how the energy shifted with that intro. This is the one that shows off the Zodiacs and Killua’s possessed sister. Hisoka and Leorio are in it as well – like it made me really hyped and I was once again hooked. Hunter x Hunter is back.
I cannot gush about the Zuldac arc enough so believe me when I say the concept and story of Alluka and Nanika was one of the most interesting tales in the entire anime. I’d love to know more of the origins of Nanika, but alas, it still remains a mystery..... as well as an interesting case of multiple personality disorder.
Meanwhile, the elections are under way and let me just cut to the chase. Leorio was one of the leading candidates just because he punched Gene in the face that’s honestly the best moment in this whole arc. Leorio was always one of my favorite characters. Loved hearing him voiced by Matt Mercer in this remake. It’s always a pleasure when he is around. It was also great seeing Hisoka again. After his absence in the Chimera Ant arc, I realized just how much I missed him. There is still so much about him that we don’t know. So many of my favorite moments of the anime include him. He’s iconic and I think I’ll miss him the most.
When it’s all said and done, Gon is healed, a new chairman is elected, and it’s time to end this amazing story. When I finished the original anime, my top 3 disappointments were how the York New City arc was incomplete, how we never saw Kurapika accomplish his goal, and how Gon never found his dad. Well, here we are at the end of all things. York New City arc was completed a long time ago. Kurapika has been MIA, seemingly found many of the scarlet eyes, but unfortunately his arc is still not finished even in the manga.
I can overlook that because Gon’s entire reason for becoming a hunter was for the sole purpose of finding his dad. Their reunion on the world tree was..... well.... of course satisfying. I know the manga continues – but Killua and Alluka are free, Leorio is becoming a doctor, Kurapika has found scarlett eyes, and Gon has found his dad. This was the best place to end the anime as, for someone who doesn’t read manga, this ending leaves a lot to imagination. I say this because Gene reveals... well basically their world is Whoville and they are quite literally little fish in a bigger pond, like a literal pond in the great big world that their in. So yeah... take that as you will....
But with that. My Hunter x Hunter experience has OFFICIALLY ended.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆
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