[Hunter x Hunter: A Long Journey of Disappointment (spoiler-free review)](h:3)
After more than two years of enduring Hunter x Hunter—a show my dear friend swears by—I find myself deeply dissatisfied. Despite the many chances I gave it, this anime failed to live up to its potential, leaving me frustrated and disheartened. It had ample opportunity to be something extraordinary, yet it consistently fell short.
The art and animation were fine overall, though they didn’t align with the darker, more twisted themes of the show. The animation quality leaned toward a more childish and cartoonish style, which didn’t quite mesh with the serious nature of the series, but I can’t say it detracted from my experience. I’m not someone who tends to overthink animation from an artsy standpoint, so it was good enough. The studio did a decent job overall. However, the soundtrack felt lackluster, especially considering the length of the series. For a show that runs for hundreds of episodes, one would expect a variety of opening themes, ending themes, and soundtracks. Instead, it often felt like the studio was unbothered, sticking with the same tunes without much variety. The voice acting, on the other hand, was solid. It did a good job of bringing the characters to life, though it didn’t elevate the overall experience in any remarkable way.
When it comes to world-building, the rules of the world were unfortunately not well-defined. There were moments when the world felt inconsistent, and while I can’t recall every detail—having watched this show over two years—there were noticeable plot holes that detracted from its immersion. The lack of clear boundaries within the world-building made certain developments feel arbitrary, further weakening the narrative.
As for the themes and message, I wasn’t particularly intrigued. The central plot revolves around a young boy who is abandoned by his father to live with his aunt, yet still pursues him even when he knows his father abandoned him without any obligation. The way this was handled—almost like a joke to make the father figure, Ging, appear “badass”—just didn’t resonate with me. It wasn’t edgy; it just felt contrived. This lack of a compelling, emotional core left me cold, but ok.
The character growth was one of the series’ few redeeming factors, but it still felt like a missed opportunity. Of the main cast, only Killua showed meaningful development. From being a killer to learning to embrace his freedom day by day, his growth was notable. However, there were several key moments where the show could’ve explored Killua’s psyche and emotions more deeply, but Togashi never took the chance. We saw very little of Killua’s internal struggle and instead, the focus remained on his surface-level friendship with Gon. It felt like a huge oversight, especially considering Killua’s importance in the narrative.
Overall, the ensemble cast, while appearing edgy and funky, quickly proved to be little more than a collection of poorly developed characters. They painfully lacked depth and substance. Their backgrounds, if explored at all, often felt shallow and half-hearted, offering little to no emotional investment. As for their motivations? They were either nonexistent or painfully cliché, making it incredibly difficult to care about their journeys or struggles. In short, the character design was badly lacking, with only a handful of characters having any semblance of decent writing (and most of them were quickly killed off or no longer had screen time. Well, at least it seems that Togashi knows if he keeps showing them, he’ll sabotage what’s been done—why, I respect him for that).
The pacing of Hunter x Hunter is another critical flaw. The length of each arc is staggering, with episodes dragging on endlessly. While some might argue that the series takes its time to build the world and characters, I found that 80% of the episodes seemed irrelevant to the central plot or the resolution of each arc. The series seems more interested in dragging things out than in moving forward, which only served to increase my frustration. For a show that spans hundreds of episodes, it’s disheartening to realize how little actual progress is made. Another argument might be that the slow pace builds character, but as previously mentioned, the character design still fails to make it worthwhile.
________ In conclusion, despite its potential and the hype surrounding it, Hunter x Hunter feels like a waste of time to me. It had moments of intrigue here and there, particularly in the fighting scenes, but it failed to deliver a satisfying or meaningful narrative. I don’t think its adventure genre can serve as a solid excuse for that, especially since I’ve seen better-written adventure animes. The series promises so much with its many episodes and a large ensemble of characters but falls short every single time, leaving you questioning whether the next episode will finally redeem it—or if you’re just wasting more time for yet another letdown.
If you know me, you’d know that I’m a dropper. I don’t hesitate to leave a series that doesn’t hold to my standard or personal attention, and yet, with Hunter x Hunter who many of my acquaintances keep telling me to give it a shot, I kept going, episode after episode, even when it felt like a painful drag. It was almost as if I was trying to push through it, not because I thought it was getting better, but out of some misplaced sense of bravery. The fact that I made it to the end (albeit reluctantly) speaks to something hah.
Comparing Hunter x Hunter to Togashi’s previous work, Yu Yu Hakusho, I feel that both fall in the lower ranks of the adventure genre. While Yu Yu Hakusho has its merits, neither series fully satisfies the expectations set by other anime in the genre. Both are examples of shows that have moments of potential but ultimately don’t rise above mediocrity. However if you are still reading this review and think one is to your liking, I advise you to check the other__.
Rating: • Story: 7/10 (with generosity) • Character Design: 5/10 • Pace of Plot: 5/10 • Production (audio/visual): 5/10 • Personal Enjoyment: 6/10
