If you couldn't tell by my profile picture, I am a huge fan of this specific anime. Not Hunter x Hunter 2011, not the Pierrot pilot OVA from 1998 (though I do appreciate both of those entries in this franchise), specifically Hunter x Hunter 1999. I absolutely adore this anime, and it is quite a shame to see it get overlooked in the West, mainly due to how it was released here. But, I'll save the talking about that for towards the end of this review, and let me state my... "thesis" behind this review, so to speak. None of you reading this know the sheer depths of my despair when I clicked on the reviews for this page, and just saw two horribly biased manifestos, each on opposite ends of the spectrum, it was really quite a sight. Shameful, almost that those two plague the reviews for this entry. I promise, that despite my high score, I will try to refrain from letting my very clear and very obvious biases colour this review too strongly. There's a lot I like about Hunter x Hunter 1999, a lot I love even, but even I can throw shade at this anime, and if you've spoken to me about it, you know what I mean. Now, without further ado, the review itself.

Hunter x Hunter (1999) is as many people assume a "darker" take on Hunter x Hunter. But, that wording, "darker", doesn't extend much past the visuals of the series itself. In fact, I'd say that the series could do with some trimming of unnaturally cheery sections, most notably Episode 2, a filler episode. Yes, that's right, this anime does include filler, but, and I expect I'll be saying this often the more anime I review, that is not a problem. Filler, or as Shaybs put it in his wonderful video on Mahoujin Guru Guru, "Anime Original Content", is quite necessary to any competent adaptation. Not a hard rule that it must be there, but anime will invariably need to add or subtract things to keep the pacing up in a new medium, and '99 attempts this a lot, with mostly positive results, though early on it stumbles hard. Episode 2 itself is a fairly pedestrian piece of filler, introducing Leorio and Kurapika early, and even having Gon meet Leorio before reaching the boat, the issues come in when this filler colours Gon as a completely different character. This also isn't something I take much issue with, '99 itself would take Gon and Killua in vastly different directions as characters, but even this filler is at odds with that.

Here, we see Gon essentially mess around for a bit and help Leorio out, which isn't much, but he has just no sense of direction in this episode past that. He's wandering around lost wondering where the boat is, when there's hardly any boats docked, he acts like a goofy and aloof child when he gets hustled into going into a zoo. There's plenty of decent atmosphere in this section, Leorio has some fun stuff to do, but Gon just looks and acts like an idiot far beyond his normal childishness, and it's off-putting once you've even just seen the rest of '99. Not in a "this character has grown" way, but rather in a "why is this character acting like this" way. Like I said, the episode definitely isn't all bad, but it certainly is a lowpoint, and it's a shame it occurs so early on.

Early on, Hunter x Hunter in general tends to struggle. Episode 1 is a fantastic adaptation and expansion on chapter 1 of the manga, but other episodes attempting to do the same for a time stumble. Many episodes do adapt just one chapter, and while some turn out good like Episode 3 or even Episode 4 (despite its wonky look due to preservation issues), it comes to a head with the marathon episodes, which fittingly drag. There's some decent anime original content here, but overall I'd say that it doesn't meaningfully expand on the events until Episode 17, which is the start of a fantastic filler arc called Battleship Island. The moment that arc starts, the series kicks right into high gear and never lets up. Every addition, every change is great, I don't care if you disagree. From the quirky and cute character downtime of Episode 17, to Kurapika vs Hisoka, and right up to the expansions made in the Yorkshin arc. I can only recommend you watch the anime to see what I mean, it is quite a sight to behold.

Now that I have run through most of what I don't like, I'll leisurely cover all the arcs. Hunter Exams, as I already stated, doesn't really pick up until Episode 17, and for the most part that includes visually. The cel animation on display here is very highly detailed, and that becomes a detriment when you mix in poor preservation and restoration. A lot of the backgrounds don't shine like they should and it makes the anime look a tad ugly at times, but, again, around Episode 17 this improves and I'd say by the end of the Hunter Exams the series has a very definable aesthetic, one that may put a few people off if they prefer the cutesy look of 2011, but if you love cel-animated series, this will be your thing. While it's also defining its aesthetic, it also amps up a lot of other factors in the process, namely Hisoka's Hunt, during the fourth phase, which becomes a horrific episode, where Gon is essentially stalking a borderline inhuman creature based on they frame Hisoka's desire to kill at that moment. Genuinely one of the best scenes in this series.

The additions made here are also a lot tighter, and this is where you begin to see Gon's change in characterization in the '99 anime. While in the manga, after getting paralyzed and receiving Hisoka's plate, he keeps them and goes to help Leorio later on, whereas in the '99 series he loses complete faith in himself to do this and believe he shouldn't be a hunter, and the anime really sells this. It shows how pathetic Gon is at that moment, and one would almost say it's needlessly depressing, but it does solidify his choices here, and it takes him saving everyone in the cave filled with snakes to truly recover his confidence and will, and move on to the final phase. I can understand if some people don't like that, but I found to be a very interesting departure from the manga.

Continuing on, the Hunter Exams further change and add stuff by bringing in a lot of general cute fluff, that works a lot better as it's playing off characters that aren't utilized much (or even die later on) for a bit of comedy, and in the final exam itself, they actually show one of the other fights, that being Kurapika vs Hisoka. The reason for this is mainly because Kurapika is obviously who the director sees as the main character, in both OPs he is a focal point, greater than Gon even, and in the EDs, even for arcs where he isn't around, he gets a good share of the screen. I can't fault them for this either, as the anime ends on a Kurapika centric arc, Yorkshin. The Kurapika fight is alright, nothing special, Hisoka makes a hilarious face you will see below, but other than that, it's fine.

Don't let that face dissuade you though, because the visuals really are top notch here. There is great direction, cinematography, and use of colours all around, this arc in general is really damn gorgeous at this point. There's a reason the folder from my last '99 watch has nearly 2000 images in it, I was stopping to screencap constantly. Below will be two of my favourite pics from the final exam.

Onto Zoldyck Family, this arc doesn't really change much other than a few extra scenes during the group's training. Really, this is the most straight forward adaptation the series does, while still maintaining a very gorgeous aesthetic. The lighting is now always on point, in addition to the visuals, and I'd say this is where '99 really solidifies its "look", its "vibe", etc., if you have watched or read Hunter x Hunter before, and are way of '99's long episode count, I recommend using this arc or Yorkshin as a "taste test" of sorts, as they show the best qualities of the series.

Heaven's Arena is a bit weird though. Functionally, it should be a perfect adaptation, again looking gorgeous, having great animation, and not really changing much... outside the positions of the fights. Heaven's Arena in the manga ends with Gon vs Hisoka, but in '99 it is moved to before the "Cripple Squad" fights. Which is very weird as Gon vs Hisoka is a culmination of sorts, and it really feels like Togashi was feeding the director ideas on how to make an incredibly anti-climatic arc (which, honestly, Togashi would do that (Coming Soon: The Yu Yu Hakusho Review!)). Hisoka vs Kastro is also mostly removed, likely due to Hisoka losing an arm not being exactly PG. You see pieces of the fight, and those stills are amazing, but I wish we could've gotten this fight as like an OVA or something, it's wild how it's just reduced to a bunch of stills and in universe grainy VHS tapes. But, other than that, this arc is still great, and I do think '99 still shines brightly throughout despite the pacing issues.

Finally, onto the "big" arc of '99, the one everyone talks about when it's time to praise this anime, Yorkshin. I fucking love this arc, this is the peak for me. Call me Shounentrash, but this is it, it's a perfectly paced wild ride, with some great music and animation, a clear and distinct style, and even with the arc not concluding in this anime, it still manages to have an amazing ending and post-credits reveal. I am shocked at how well executed this arc is, and I cannot praise it enough, I just recommend everyone stop reading this review, don't even like it, just leave, download the arc, and watch it. It is perfect. I know I said I'd try not to be biased, but I just can't here. So, instead of letting my fanboy love seep out of me for another 5 paragraphs, I'll end this section with a selection of screencaps from the arc, and I'll try to keep them as non-spoilery as possible.

And that's about all I wanted to say about this wonderful anime. I hope this at least made some of you a bit interested in '99, if even one of you watches it, I'll be happy. Even if this review gets 50 dislikes and only 1 like, I will be happy if that 1 like was because someone ended up watching this anime and enjoying it. If any of you want to know the encode I used, just shoot me a message, other than that, thank you for reading this extended manifesto. I did not think I would use this many screencaps.