Exactly like any other battle shounen, Hunter x Hunter is a massive time sink. It’s not about the destination but the friends you made along the way. You’re going to fail but you have to pick yourself up and try try again. There’s really nothing special about Hunter x Hunter, really I mean it. It’s consistent, but not consistently good. It’s just endless entertainment, devoid of any value. It’s best aspect is it’s creativity, but at times it can be a vice. Many of the character designs suck. The rules of the universe exist only to make for entertaining anime, and would be wholly ridiculous if conspired for a few minutes. And worst of all it has absolutely no overarching focus.
The goal, or rather the excuse, for going on his journey is that Gon is looking for his father, except that’s not a destination at all, for if the story ended with him meeting his father it would be a massive disappointment. If anything meeting his father is a beginning. And there’s maybe a dozen episodes where this goal is even considered, otherwise they’re only concerned with whatever dilemma they’re currently in. Even if it has fuck all to do with finding Gon’s dad.
The show further manages to waste your time by telling you all about random characters that will probably never be mentioned again, but also might have a two second cameo in the election arc. They’re probably all just ant-food anyway. Speaking of ants, earlier I mentioned that the anime was consistent. I should’ve added the caveat that for HALF the anime it was consistent. During the ant arc it’s all over the place. Forget every character you liked in Hunter x Hunter. Yes even Gon and Killua. They’re important yeah, but not right now. Right now this is the Meruem and his ant buddies show. They’re so powerful that they can kill anybody by farting while thinking about them. And they can see every pore on your nose from 13 miles away. Hope you don’t really care what the good guys are doing because honestly whatever it is will have no bearing on the fate of the world in this arc. Guess we just gotta wait till the ants decide to die or fuck off so we can continue the story.
And don’t get me started on Komugi. Single worst part of this anime. How old is this girl and her hair is already white as paper. Her complexion looks like boogers and her boogers look like cum. What is that hair style? Does she actually put in the effort to tie her hair up in tubes every morning but can’t wipe the drop outta her nostrils? And holy shit I get that she’s blind so she can’t tell that her eyebrows are overgrown but goddamn This little girl has the thickest brows I’ve ever seen. It’s like they were trying to make the ugliest gorilla monster in the world, and then scrapped it’s design as a chimera ant and said fuck it let’s make it a little girl. Then they have the gall to show her midriff and try to make her look cute and all at the end. Hell no, miss me with it. Komugi is disgusting.
Well two important things happen during that 70 episode diversion. Gon is butthurt and Killua is gay now. The last arc (a succinct 9 episodes) wraps it up pretty well. The story concludes on a good note. 57 hours well wasted.