Anime Review - Hunter x Hunter (2011)

The lack of popularity surrounding Hunter x Hunter (2011) has always confused me, especially after catching up to it six months ago. For an anime that seems to do everything right, it isn't talked about a lot at a popular level. Neither has it been successful in garnering a fan base similar to that of SNK or SAO. I decided to write this review to do the show justice. If a show this good is still flying under your radar or if you are discouraged from watching this because of its "childish appearance" then reading this review is a must.

Synopsis:

Hunter x Hunter is set in a world where Hunters exist to perform all manner of dangerous tasks like capturing criminals and bravely searching for lost treasures in uncharted territories. Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss is determined to become the best Hunter possible in hopes of finding his father, who was a Hunter himself and had long ago abandoned his young son. However, Gon soon realizes the path to achieving his goals is far more challenging than he could have ever imagined.

Along the way to becoming an official Hunter, Gon befriends the lively doctor-in-training Leorio, vengeful Kurapika, and rebellious ex-assassin Killua. To attain their own goals and desires, together the four of them take the Hunter Exam, notorious for its low success rate and high probability of death. Throughout their journey, Gon and his friends embark on an adventure that puts them through many hardships and struggles. They will meet a plethora of monsters, creatures, and characters—all while learning what being a Hunter truly means.

Story:

There is a kid that decides to go on an adventure, for a particular purpose, meets friends, becomes stronger and eventually defeats powerful opponents. It doesn't come off as a very complex or intriguing story/plot, nor is there a generic/forgettable cast and an amassed other facts that would remind you of how forgettable this show probably is. Believe me it's not.

Characters:

Where the show really starts to shine is with it's characters. You'll fall in love with most of the characters or even start to hate others but that is what makes it so good. Most of the average shounen anime always refer to something like the "Power of Friendship", or any bullshit like that. Forget this ever existed in anime when watching hunter x hunter, as the sincere friendship that is witnessed between the main cast is nothing short of magnificent. It is realistic and evolves over a long period of time.
All of the characters are well developed and come with their own set of desires and goals.

Arts and Animation:

Hunter x Hunter is a pretty long series and I thought that the Animation and Art would get worse from time to time but that never happened. The Animation team behind hunter x hunter did a great job to keep the Animations as consistent as possible.

I just want to put this in between the lines - Everything I say about the Animation and Art of the Anime are for the Anime only and don't include anything for the Manga because the Art of the Manga is pure shit. I mean look at this bullshit here.

Alright let's get back to the Anime.

The Animations are as fluid as they could be especially in fight/action scenes.

Sound:

The Music in the Anime really is as good as it could get. All of the Opening and Endings are really fitting and well made. The Music that plays during dramatic or fight scenes are just godlike and really set the mood for the scene. I did not skip the opening even once when watching the series; instead I started smiling and singing along to the music.

Conclusion:

Overall, I have to say I’m simply impressed by Hunter x Hunter in every regard, it’s definitely the best Anime I’ve seen so far and it won’t be easy to fill the void after the Series ended. If you look for a Shounen, which is outstanding in terms of writing, story progression, character development and uniqueness, you have to watch Hunter x Hunter. While it has some weaknesses and rather mediocre episodes from time to time, those little mistakes can easily be overlooked due to the overall extremely high quality of all the other aspects.

Story: 9
Characters: 10
Art and Animation: 10
Sound: 9
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10