FULL REVIEW OF HUNTER X HUNTER ANIME
Honestly I want to keep this introduction as short as possible, so welcome to my fully analyzed review of Hunter x Hunter.
starting off with, and as simply as possible, HxH can be described as a huge lost potential that had the qualities to be a masterpiece given the level of writing It was portrayed with. With that being said, it was written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. it got two anime adaptations, 1999 and 2011. this review will be exclusive to the 2011 production.
As long as I can remember, Hunter x Hunter has all always been one of my favorites. Its truly good with much unique traits, however I'm going to go throughly across specific topics, and won't be biased in the slightest. though, this is mostly based off my opinion.
this passage will contain the following:
- Plot
- Main character
- Side Cast
- World Building
- Power System
- Animation and Soundtracks
for starters and simply said, Hunter x Hunter is about a boy who goes out seeking his father who abandoned him, and also wanting to see what was so amazing about being a hunter that led his father to leave his son for.
and as I said, thats "simply" what its about, however, the plot, -to be honest like any other shounen that did require a slow build up- as the story moves on works to explore more deeper aspects from different sides, pretty variable you can say, such as: complexity, lust, discovering oneself, seeking revenge for the sake of it, searching for acceptance, justice and injustice are two faces of the same coin, the effects someone can leave over another, the importance of determination and passion, how much hatred and pain can affect others mentally and hence their actions, bad parenting and upbringings and how much this affects the offsprings, mentally damaged characters and how it affects their surroundings and relationships.
not to mention it also goes over basic thematic topics, such as: friendship, adventure, camaraderie, dreams, bright-sides and its affects, developments and immense effort.
the only problem there is plot-wise, is that the start is fairly slow and required a lot of building to actually get to the real part of relevancy and excitement. I dont mind this honestly because usually the best animes out there has a slow start to make things clearer. some people might mind it and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
the plot is easily misunderstood to sound ridiculous, however its not really that deep and that what makes it well written, its simplicity and how it gradually goes darker and more fascinating the deeper you move into it. too bad we never really got to see its full potential.
I'd say its a 7.9/10 plot.
At the beginning, I was not the biggest fan of Gon tbh (and im not one now either), at first he was so generic, a happy-go-lucky main character who was so optimistic about everything but then that happened and it showed us how much of a complex and lowkey messed up character he is, and he deserves full credit for it.
he's unique in his own way.
however if we're to think about him seriously we would get to the conclusion that depending on the situation he's put in, Gon can be ultimately the bad guy, and in other cases he would be the hero. it depends mostly on his view of the presented-plot.
For example, he would happily follow any given rules if they aligned with his interests, or if they didn't go against them. however in case the rules generally fail to serve him he would look past them and simply forgoes them, his stubbornness isn't logically possible and exceeds anyone's expectations, still its honestly interesting and gives more to his character. he's pretty much narrow minded; meaning he's only willing to look only at what's offered on his plate and wouldn't extend his vision any further. the biggest scenario of this was the idea of revenge, it drove him insane that he ignored any possible consequences and rational thinking, whether it would mean death, living, immense loss, gain, it didn't matter. he has morals in which he would abandon on a whim in case of an event-turning point that he crosses in his path, we can say he lacks self-reflection.
we can actually lump this on his simple upbringings and lack of experience, which is pretty much valid given his age.
still, i personally think he's easily influenced by the circumstances and people that surround him, and at the same time he can easily influence people around him. I mean if he were to join the Phantom troupe I can see him have a somewhat similar mindset. still on the other hand; he was arguably the biggest reason Killua was able realize himself more clearly. so basically it goes both ways. still I don't see him getting influenced by some person whom he strongly disagrees with, the influence has to be close to his way of thinking for it to grow in a certain way.
I still strongly agree with the idea that he might have had his mindset opened up a little after his transformation, and it would have pushed his persona to a better angle of understanding things more clearly.
but to be fair, we didn't get to see how the events of the CA arc could've changed him in such a small period of time before the anime ended, he might have had development, he might haven't had it, theres a door for each possibility.
anyways, in everyday life, Gon is childish, friendly, honest, and whimsical, and is so trusting (which is bad). He's also gifted, his kind gesture and nature works like a magnate pulling people towards him and piquing their interest, I mean the Phantom troupe even once tried to recruit him, Hisoka is practically obsessed him, Killua follows him around because he sees him as a light.
this was fairly long but it's just another proof of how much of a complex and great character he is, so basically don't let appearances deceive you. 7.8/10 MC
the side cast is okay-ish written, most of them has their own plot and different, distinguished personalties and unique designs, they vary a lot from upbringings, origin and goals. there are the good ones, the bad ones, the crazy ones, the morally grey ones, the shy ones, the badass ones, creepy ones, mentally damaged ones, and the I-cant-place-in-a-specific-category ones, so basically everything is available.
but to put it blandly: the characters are mostly one-dimensional. aside from Gon, Killua, Hisoka, Kurapika and arguably Chrollo the characters don't really have much to them, they lack depth, it's that one main personality trait they have and nothing else, take Illumi for example (strangely enough he's my favorite character).
However although they're mostly one-dimensional they do have that strange charismatic aspect where you feel like you're interested to know and explore them more, Leorio, is the biggest example. And since we are on the topic there are few characters the are simply plot devices or characters there for the main characters' development, Kite.
one other drawback is the handling of the female characters, its poorly done. the only actually relative fem character was biscuit, however the others where really just not it, Palm? Kumogi? Shizuko? please what even are these.
although the drawbacks are quite visible, but the side cast is somewhat solid. I mean they're at least memorable, the kind that really gets crafted into your mind and aren't easy forgettable. a few can make you feel as though they're truly alive. that shows a quality in writing.
looking at Killua and Kurapika, one can tell that Togashi absolutely have the talent to write in-depth characters, however he never used this to extend his characters' writing level.
Hunter x Hunter offers us a few of character-related content; characters exploration arcs, backstories, development and detailed show-of-emotions of anger, grief, happiness and sadness.
but to give it credit, Hunter x Hunter knows how to handle its villains really well, the Phantom Troupe is arguably one of he best evil organizations by lots, and Meruem is such a great and well explored character with a very fit ending for him to meet.
there not much more to say in this category to be honest so I'll stop here. 6.5/10 for the side cast.
this for a fact, would've been a rich topic to explore in case the manga was never put to an end (Hiatus who?)
but as a result of the former, theres not much to say, but the potential was crazy.
so basically the story is set on earth, one that is not similar to ours but at the same time is somewhat similar, honestly the map is ours but jumbled up, let that make sense. however the idea where the world building starts to expand is outside of earth where other realms exists, with different geographical patterns, landscapes and foundation of living, and to mention all the other species aside from humans were introduced and reside there.
there are so many missing elements in the world building this far, basically: we were never led into any history of the world. here are some examples that would've been helpful if we were told about:
- how the hunter association was formed
- The mafia family's
- meteor city history
Spoiler, click to view
- mankind history with the dark continent: we know humans used to be residents there.the most noticeable and a strong point in the world building is Greed Island, in which is site for a game set in some island in a part of the world, magic works really good there.
look, to make it simple; Hunter x Hunter had the foundation and the main columns to a great world building if used right. however it wasn't used to begin with.
world building is 6/10.
before I get into detail with this, I'd like to say: quality ≠ Complicity.
I had to rewatch the explanation three damn times to grasp it and understand it completely, or so I think I did? (im not slow I promise)
I just think Togashi put an immense thoughts in this --which is a good thing-- but I'm certain the majority who watched HxH are kids. im not sure how they are supposed to understand it. they probably just go with the flow, which is valid I believe.
ok, lets get to the real part --I won't explain how the PS operates, that will take five essays, ill just go over the basics, however reading the following is definitely helpful--
"The minute you start talking about who can win in a Nen fight, you're wrong." said by Morel.
and thats honestly a perfect way to describe Nen.
it's fairly unpredictable, has a very wide variation of uses and utilities and is effective.
__A. what is Nen and how many types of it are there?
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Nen is the manipulation of ones own life energy, which is also known as one's own Aura, it divides into 6 Nen types in total: Conjuration, Manipulation, Emission, Transmutation, Enhancement, and Specialization.
every person have their own type of Nen they can specialize in, in which they're most effective at and their techniques depend on. the usage of other types is also possible but the effectiveness and the utilization level drop the further away it strays from the original type they belong to.
each type has specific powers and way of use.
once the person learns how to manipulate their Aura and are able to determine their Nen type they can utilize and develop their own technique depending on it. the techniques tend to be unique to every individual.
depending on the user's talents, understanding on Nen, effectiveness in battle and skills, the techniques can be incredibly and extremely powerful, dangerous and frequently hazardous.
mastering of Nen requires undergoing a hellish training and determination. acquiring such skills doesn't come for free, however the results are certainly worth it.
B. what are the four major principals of Nen?
look here, Nen needs what we call "awakening" in order to be able to use it.
there are two ways to achieve that; one is undergoing a specific training for a very long period of time, in which case is the safest option. And two is by opening the body pores, once that happens, the flow of Aura increases drastically, from that point comes the essence of controlling this Aura.
the second method is fairly risky because there might be side effects from he sudden immense flow of aura, those who aren't physically weak will be overwhelmed by the sudden flow and will most Riley be put in a coma.
now how does "opening the pores" happen? or how does someone control it?
basically it depends on on the four major principals of Nen in which learning is considered a vital point in acquiring and controlling Nen: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
Ten is the essence of learning how to open up your pores so that Aura starts to flow around the user's body instead of away from it. Zetsu is the prospect of learning how to stop the flow of Aura. With Ren, the user outputs a huge amount/levels of aura with high intensity similar to an explosion.
And finally, mastering Hatsu allows the user to outwardly project their aura in order to develop their own Nen abilities.
there are advanced Nen techniques, in which are predominantly derive from the four major principles.
Gyo for example is the advanced form of Ren where huge portions of Aura is concentrated in a specific body part and hence increasing its power drastically. Zen is the advanced form of Zetsu, in which the user capable of concealing their Aura and thus concealing their presence completely, making it virtually impossible to detect them.
each principal has its advanced type and capabilities.
combining Nen is also possible and that expands even greater pathways of possibilities of power, skills and techniques. it will take longer to explain this whole advanced thing, so hit me up on twitter if you want me to explain them in further detail, ill happily do so.:)
C. what are the "limitations" of Nen?
so, a special use of Nen stands in limiting its use, and with that being said imposing limitations of Nen abilities can work in increasing the overall strength and power of the said skill that was limited.
to explain this further, let's take Kurapika's own skill for example. This skill is based of the conjuring Nen type, Kurapika developed this skill solely to kill the Phantom Troupe members. now this is the limitation of the ability, meaning; using it on any other person other than a member of the troupe is prohibited, and using it against this rule means certain death.
these rules are set by the users themselves, the greater the risk and loss the greater the power displayed.
aside from going through such risks, Kurapika's chain are extremely tough, -unlike the normal chains or normally Aura-infused chains- and escaping them is practically impossible.
holy shit, this was long but worth it. so honestly this is REALLY well written and I tip off my hat for you Togashi.
I only wish it was explained more simply to grasp it easily but once you get it, you get astonished why how well it is. power system is 11/10.
the animation? damn great, especially when you remember it was produced in 2011. the animation was amazing, the pacing was great, the art was simply wow, there was no filler or whatsoever. theres nothing more anyone could ask for?the soundtracks give so much nostalgia and send chills down my spine.
Hisoka's OST was so fitting.
CA arc outro OST will never not hit.
generally the soundtracks really hit deep.
animation and soundtracks 9/10.
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I enjoyed Hunter x Hunter, and I assume most people enjoyed it too. and what matters more than enjoying it? nothing much. for a show to be able to put you through many emotions of joy, sadness, anger and such is not easy.
okay now that you have reached here, id like to thank you! this took days and im glad you were willing to read it.