User rating of this review - 4.86 out of 5
Story/Plot - 4.8 out of 5
Characters - 5 out of 5
Drawing Style - 3.5 out of 5
Enjoyment - 5 out of 5
Overall - 4.9 out of 5
Plot/Story
The general outline of the plot is shounen adventure, along the lines of Naruto or One Piece, with longer arcs rather than short episodic events. But, I'd say it's quite a bit better in that you get less of the parade of enemies who are each the most powerful in the world (until the next one comes along) feel that gets extremely repetitive as these series drag on. A rare gem in that there's lots of action but with intelligence (neither all "triumph of the will" despite absolutely impossible odds, nor continuous succession of special technique, super technique, super super technique, super ultra technique, super ultra secret technique level 5...)
All the arcs are quite enjoyable, with great comedic and dramatic moments interspersed between and within the battles. Somewhat rare is the lack of romantic elements, which I think is plus as it would be extraneous in the series. I can think of a number of series where the romantic interests are are there only for the sake of being there. Which brings me to another positive, being the female characters in this are not an automatic grade below the guys (cough, Naruto, cough). None yet have been kidnapped by the baddies so that the heroes cna rescue them. Also, secondary (or even primary) characters appear, disappear and then come back again later again, and occasionally die, giving this story a more realistic, and non linear feel.
The only complaint is that the arc transitions are sometimes a bit abrupt.
Characters
One of the best parts of the series is that almost all of the characters are portrayed 3-dimensionally. The relationships between the main characters, Gon and Killua especially are well developed, subtly and at time quite movingly, but even secondary/tertiary characters are portrayed with their own pasts and motivations while they are on screen. In particular, the subtlety and sophistication the characters' motivations is head and shoulders above constant repititions of "this is my way of the ninja" or "this is the treaure I must protect."
Drawing Style
Although the characer designs are well-done, the drawing is one area HxH falls weaker, as the drawings seem to get rougher as the series progresses. Might have to do with the rumored ill health of the mangaka?
Enjoyment
As mentioned before, extremely enjoyable in general, but particularly noteworthy for its refreshing infusion of intelligence, subtlety and sophistication in the characters in the comon sounen adventure genre. In fact, the more of DBZ, Naruto and One Piece types you've seen, the more likely you'd appreciate these characteristics.
Overall
Must watch series for anyone who appreciates action adventure, with some great character development. Basically, if you enjoyed Naruto at one point, you should like this. In case you haven't noticed with the comparisons in this review, my opinion is that Hunetr x Hunter is underwatched compared to the many other more well-known and popular series.
Might not be for those who need fullblown dramatic romance in their manga though.
Actually, I don't really think Hunter X Hunter needs romance but probably should have some girl characters to balance the action/fighting stuff out.
Hunter X Hunter is probably popular amonst the boys more than the girls but if their is this cool girl character (Other than Bisuke) Hunter X Hunter might attract more attention from the girls...
This is just an idea btw
Hunter x Hunter really is an enjoyable manga and anime to watch and read. The character development hit you really well. Each and every characters holds a natural and realistic characteristic that you cannot not enjoy! Each arch of Hunter x Hunter is filled with tension, humor, harmony and natural plot line. It is too bad that news of Hunter x Hunter stop being on hiatus seem unlikely.
Hunter-x-Hunter is truly a great manga indeed. There is great attention to every detail storywise, which, as the reviewer has stated, makes this manga very realistic in comparison to other shounen titles. The mangaka avoided the use of cliches and overly used statements, and the flow of the story is very fluid. The only thing that makes this manga far from perfect is, as everyone has noticed, the artwork, or "doodling", as the person above said. And well, the long months of waiting for the next chapter to be released, if it will ever be released.
The manga as well as the anime are both excellent. Except that the anime stops after the G.I. arc, while the manga continues. I'm not sure about the ill health of the mangaka rumor, but the art in the manga does get weaker. It basically turns into sketches or, roughly saying, doodles. Though some people may still like it.
Great review. Agree whole-heartedly with all the points.
I've always been something of an animation connoisseur (a.k.a. snob), and traditionally I gravitated toward the more serious, aesthetically captivating works. Hunter x Hunter changed all that when it became, and remained, my diehard favorite series. Which is not to say it isn't deep or inelegant, but that it can be simultaneously hilarious, absurd, intense, and affecting - which is really what captures you. It motivated me to broaden my field of interest and I've since become a fan of many other shounen series, but unfortunately none quite live up to the quality of HxH in character development and complexity. Or when they do, it often appears to be "inspired" - to put it gently - by Hunter x Hunter itself. Note the fact that HxH is actually a year Naruto's senior, and appears narrowly to have missed out on the fandom explosion. Not that I mind too much. While it's baffling, the obscurity allows it to remain something of a private treasure.
Also, in regard to the anime - the original animation series comprised of about 62 episodes could justifiably be said to surpass even the manga in awesomeness, since it follows the cannon closely but expands on and embellishes a lot, making the story and character development even stronger than it already was. The OVAs that were produced later after the furor for the series had cooled down are noticeably less well produced, with the possible exception of the first which concluded the Genei Ryodan arc. But the manga is a much better source for your HxH fix at that point (even with the unfortunate exception of the sporadic art style caused by Togashi-san's failing health), and continues far beyond where the anime leaves off.
And on a final note, there are plenty of romantic undertones to be found as well, if that's your fancy. You just have to look for it. Anyone familiar with Togashi's work knows that he has a fetish for the unusual.
Great review that sums up the story well. And to the comment above, Hunter X Hunter is far from over with the manga almost finished with the arc after Greed island. The OVAs come much later so the don't have any filler episodes. So read the manga, its better the the anime and you don't have to wait as long
This is a great manga and anime which i loved! But in the anime i just wanted to inform that the ending of the Greed Island Final isn't quite as good and leaves so many things unanswered. I think the ending should either be remade or else another series to continue the story because so many things are left untouched such as what happens with Kurapica, Leorio and the Ryoudan.. so for HXH fans like myself i believe there are many awaiting a NEW series edition of HXH
