Hunter x Hunter

With Hiatus x Hiatus, you don't necessarily have to endure the bad parts. In fact, you can skip them entirely. Focus on these key arcs: Hunter Exam, York Shin City, and Chimera Ant. To make it easier, read manga chapters 1 through 38, 64 through 119, and then 186 through 318. That's the essence of Hunter x Hunter. The rest is not worth your time. When you read HxH this way, it transforms into a solid, decent-length shonen manga with a bittersweet ending. Given that the manga will likely never have a proper conclusion, this is really the only way to enjoy it. So, don't let the frequent hiatuses discourage you; the last 50 chapters are subpar anyway. Much of the series involves trudging through filler until the next engaging arc. Fortunately, the manga's arcs are relatively episodic, allowing you to skip without missing crucial plot points or character development. I wish someone had told me this before I wasted time on arcs like Greed Island, wondering why anyone enjoyed this series. The highs are incredibly high, but the lows are truly miserable. Sometimes, it felt like every fight was just characters explaining their numerous abilities in detail until one got bored to death. Many shonen series fall into this trap, but Hunter x Hunter dives into it headfirst. These scenes are creatively bankrupt, and the only tension comes from wondering what overpowered new ability Togashi will pull out next. There isn't an interesting overarching narrative, the world feels a bit dull, the combat is more frustrating than engaging, and most main characters are somewhat boring. However, the Hunter Exam arc was decent, Yorknew City felt like a classic battle shonen revenge arc, and the Chimera Ant Arc was a prime example of the genre at its peak—basically Dragon Ball Z meets psychological horror. Despite getting self-indulgent and having an annoying narrator, overall, it's one of the best arcs in any shonen manga. Meruem stands out as an incredible villain. I don't have much else to say about this manga—it's not particularly remarkable. I mainly wanted to share this advice: just read the good parts. You won't miss anything important, and you'll likely enjoy the series more. Also, ensure you're reading scans of official volumes, as for a while, Togashi would submit sketches to Shonen Jump and only fully illustrate scenes when the volume was released. That's it. I guess it's a 5/10.

Okay, to start off, I'm going to go on a little rant about the early chapters of this manga's art. If you don't care or whatever, then keep scrolling until you see "RANT END," I guess, haha. *RANT START* When I read this manga, I was shocked that the art style of the manga that managed to tie with One Piece was so bad. It actually looked a lot like my current art style. I was actually sort of happy. You see, I'm an aspiring mangaka (yeah, I know that's not what it's called outside of Japan, but whatever), and I always thought my art style was terrible and that no one would publish my work. But when I look at Togashi’s art style in the early chapters of Hunter x Hunter and saw how bad it was yet how popular it became, it fills me with hope. If Togashi could become as popular as Oda despite his art being pretty rough, then maybe I have a chance in the manga world too. *RANT END* Mmkay, anyway... Story: The story is flawless. I love the Phantom Troupe. They’re so shady, but in a sophisticated way. It's charming, so to speak. Greed Island was unexpected, but turned out to be pretty good despite some flaws. Characters: Gon and Killua are the funniest duo ever. Killua is always yelling at Gon, and Gon is always brushing it off. They're a hilarious train wreck. Hisoka is amusing, though not particularly likable, but still entertaining. Overall Enjoyment: Pretty good. I do love this anime/manga. Would I rewatch it? Debatable. It's not among my top favorite anime, but I do enjoy it. I just hope Togashi lives long enough to finish this manga =/ The tragedy with Kaze no Stigma mustn't happen again!

Welcome to the world of Hunter X Hunter, where people strive to become Hunters. However, to achieve this, one must pass the rigorous Hunter Exam. Thousands participate in this exam, including a young boy named Gon Freecs, who dreams of meeting his father, a renowned Hunter. To do so, he must follow in his father's footsteps and become an exceptional Hunter. Along his journey, Gon meets Killua, whose family is famous for being assassins; Kurapika, a loyal friend driven by revenge; and Leorio, a brash man aiming to become a successful medical Hunter.

Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of the 1994 hit YuYu Hakusho, also wrote Hunter X Hunter. This manga is no less impressive. While many long-running shounen series are often criticized as tedious and unimaginative, Hunter X Hunter stands out with its refreshing approach.

Hunter X Hunter has it all: action, pragmatic characters, and psychological depth. It can be a thrilling psychological drama or an adrenaline-pumping action story. The craftsmanship behind HxH is superb. The anime balances pathos and humor to create a captivating atmosphere, while the manga includes slapstick comedy to lighten the mood. But when it gets serious, the intensity is undeniable.

The series doesn't break new ground conceptually, but its execution is where it shines. Beyond supernatural abilities, the manga takes a realistic approach. Small details matter, from adapting your eyes to darkness to improving running efficiency. These elements contribute to intense mental and physical conflicts during battles. HxH focuses more on the adventure aspect than the fighting, so don't expect sudden power boosts to save the day. That’s one of the many things you'll appreciate about this manga.

Despite its emphasis on adventure, HxH still delivers enough action to keep readers engaged. The action scenes are invigorating, keeping readers on their toes with cliffhangers big and small. The slow-paced scripts are enriched with well-developed central and supporting characters. Even minor characters are given depth, ensuring they don’t feel flat or one-dimensional.

Character development is another strong point. While Gon remains relatively static, Killua and Kurapika undergo significant changes throughout the manga. Some may find the art style lacking, but it is competent if not outstanding. Another issue is the amount of text, which can sometimes overwhelm readers. However, this meticulous attention to detail ensures that no plot holes are left unfilled.

Once you reach the Hunter Exam arc, everything shifts into high gear. If this arc doesn't capture your interest, then HxH might not be for you. This series is light years ahead of other shounen anime, offering unparalleled dedication and precision. Among the monotonous shounen titles, HxH stands out by raising the bar.

This is simply the best story ever, perfect in every way and filled with a wide range of emotions. While it's based on friendship like many other anime, this one stands out as the finest. What sets Hunter x Hunter apart is its intensity; it doesn't have any unnecessary filler content and features excellent one-on-one battles. It's not just about two kids but involves numerous well-developed characters, each with their own compelling stories.

The most remarkable aspect is the character development. Characters don't just magically evolve overnight; they have to train rigorously to achieve their results. This realistic progression makes the story even more engaging. The only downside is the author Yoshihiro Togashi's illness, which has affected the release schedule.

Writing a review about something you love this much is incredibly challenging for me. It's far more difficult than spending time criticizing something you dislike, explaining in detail why it doesn't work for you. That’s why I’ve never seriously attempted to write such a review until now. Trying to convey why I love something feels like an impossible task with just the words in my vocabulary. However, I hope this review can express to everyone why I believe Hunter x Hunter is Yoshihiro Togashi’s most successful work, not only in terms of sales but also in terms of his artistic expression. To me, the most fascinating aspect of Hunter x Hunter as a story is its incredible variety of settings, themes, and tones from moment to moment, while still feeling cohesive. This is something I feel was missing from Togashi’s second most well-known manga, Yu Yu Hakusho (which I also love), due to his tumultuous history with it during its publication. On paper, Hunter x Hunter is an action-adventure manga aimed at young Japanese boys, just like Yu Yu Hakusho. In practice, though, Togashi used what his audience and editors expected and wanted as tools to create whatever he desired, rather than viewing them as limitations or guidelines. Everything in this story, from the detailed action sequences to the reasons behind any event, is completely subservient to Togashi and his creative whims. **THE ACTION** Almost every action scene after a certain point early on serves an introspective, character-based purpose. Togashi often focuses on the thoughts and mental processes of each character involved in any given conflict, rather than purely focusing on their physical actions. Even when a character’s inner monologue seems irrelevant to the current situation or we know their assumptions are incorrect, Togashi ensures we understand the thought process behind everything. This makes Hunter x Hunter always feel like a coherent, living, breathing world. It's also common for fights to be shorter than expected or one-sided beatdowns, where one side never really had a chance of winning, unlike the typical desperate struggle until one character proves superior. **THE ADVENTURE** The "adventure" aspect of the series serves as a way to move characters from one setting to another whenever Togashi feels he’s done everything he wanted to do in a particular place. Even if a setting has almost infinite potential for further exploration, it’s rare to revisit a place once the characters have moved on, with one notable exception being the island where the main character was raised. Since the main characters are constantly searching for a specific person or item, there’s always a perfectly understandable reason for them to move along without getting stuck in one place longer than Togashi wants or needs. **THE FANTASY** Another key difference between Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho is that Hunter x Hunter leans much harder into fantasy elements. Instead of taking place in “current year Japan,” Hunter x Hunter is set in a chaotic, entirely made-up world based loosely on our own Earth. By creating this rich world with just the right amount of fantasy elements, Togashi ensured he would never run out of ideas for settings and characters. Bounty hunters, genocidal gangs, killer clowns, kings with superpowers, multifaceted political conflicts, alien man-eating ants, and reincarnation are all fair game. **CONCLUSION** This story is so unpredictable that it feels like a child getting distracted by new, cool things every few minutes—someone who is simply happy to be there. Whenever I read it, I can’t help but feel the same excitement. It’s so intricate and meticulously planned that you can’t help but try to guess where it’s going next, even though you inevitably fail every time. It’s the gift that keeps on giving... except when it’s on hiatus. Since 2006, the publication of this series has been very inconsistent due to Togashi’s poor health. Despite being only one year younger than One Piece, Hunter x Hunter currently sits at 400 chapters as I’m writing this. But honestly, this inconsistency doesn’t discourage me as much as it does others. Togashi’s health matters more than anything else, and I feel satisfied with the 400 amazing chapters we’ve already gotten. He seems determined to finish the story despite his condition. So all we can do is hope for his well-being and wait for the next batch of chapters to drop. I’ll be there no matter what.

Most of my points in my HxH 2011 review still apply here, so I'll keep this brief.

HxH 2011 undoubtedly breathed new life into the manga, but the original story and characters remain compelling. In my opinion, the current arc is shaping up to be one of the best in the series.

The main drawbacks are the inconsistent artwork and frequent hiatuses. The art quality can vary drastically, from mere scribbles to beautifully detailed creatures and landscapes that even Miura of Berserk would admire. As every HxH fan knows, the hiatuses are the biggest flaw, delaying the completion of the story for years.

Despite these issues, it remains a captivating experience from start to finish.

Story: 10/10
Art: 6/10 (ranges from poor sketches to high-quality work)
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 10/10

Hunter x Hunter stands out as one of the most intriguing shounen manga ever created, yet it is also among the most frustrating due to several missteps.

The story revolves around a young boy named Gon, who embarks on a quest to find his father, a renowned Hunter. Hunters are elite mercenaries who undertake various missions and quests worldwide. To locate his father, Gon decides to become a Hunter himself, leading to a 12-year-old competing against seasoned adults for the prestigious title. This premise seems absurd, especially considering Gon's initial weakness and overly pure personality. While the narrative does an admirable job showcasing friendship and teamwork, it remains difficult to believe.

This core story barely progresses; Gon never finds his father. Instead, the focus shifts to character development and side stories, which are numerous and well-told. The overarching plot primarily follows a team of kids (and an almost token adult) facing challenges to develop their skills and achieve their goals. However, 90% of the plot involves quests, duels, or research, with only 10% contributing to actual story progression. The pacing is slow and dull, despite the series being known for its excitement. The issue lies in poor cinematic execution rather than the story itself.

The artwork ranges from average to subpar, featuring minimalistic character designs, simple lighting effects, and weak motion effects. Although it improves over time, it never reaches a high standard. Initially, there are few battles, and those present are not particularly thrilling. This is somewhat justified by the characters' initial weakness and lack of special powers, but it still makes the series feel unexciting and reduces its re-read value. However, the confrontations often emphasize strategy over brute strength, though this does not compensate for the underwhelming artwork.

The first chapters focus on introducing the characters and establishing their weaknesses, making them less engaging for multiple reads. Introducing the story through media res could have made it more captivating. The first dozen chapters introduce the characters, followed by half the series dedicated to the Hunter exam. The real interest comes from the characters and their individual side stories. In the second half, the characters grow stronger, and the missions become more serious, involving professional killers and greater dangers. At this point, the series adopts a more traditional shounen structure, becoming more engaging while retaining strategic elements.

However, the later arcs seem to regress in terms of build-up. The third arc focuses on raising money to buy a video game, which feels disconnected from the earlier intense tournaments. The fourth arc involves hunting bugs, further diminishing the sense of progression. It feels like the story starts with grand ambitions and slowly devolves into trivial tasks. Additionally, the incorporation of video games and card games feels like blatant marketing, detracting from the original premise of Gon's adventure to find his father.

The characters are the heart of the story, and the cast is likable within the shounen genre. Each major and secondary character receives significant attention and development beyond their superpowers. Nevertheless, they remain far from fully fleshed-out. Gon, for instance, is nearly impossible to relate to due to his overly optimistic nature. His survival is largely due to other fighters refusing to harm him. While not entirely two-dimensional, the characters lack depth and realistic reactions. As for catharsis, Gon's father remains unfound, and the revenge subplot remains incomplete.

In essence, Hunter x Hunter is a good shounen series with superior internal logic compared to many others in the genre. Most quests require strategy, field tactics, and even psychology to overcome. Even when characters become powerful, the reasons for their abilities are well-explained. However, the series is not about battles, as major ones are few and poorly executed. Despite the presence of gruesome deaths, the atmosphere feels off, making the series feel more like feeding ducks at a park lake than a survival horror story.

In conclusion, while Hunter x Hunter is superior to Naruto in many aspects, it lacks the tension found in modern shounens. Shows like Kaiji or Liar Game handle tactics better, and Full Metal Alchemist excels in action, character immersion, and cinematography. Nonetheless, Hunter x Hunter remains a commendable entry in the shounen genre.

This manga does everything a shounen manga should do. When I think of the perfect manga, Hunter X Hunter comes to mind. This review focuses on the series as a whole.

The fights are incredible. Each hunter has their unique ability and fighting style. The main characters use their intelligence and distinctive strategies to win. While I enjoyed Dragon Ball Z growing up, character strength is often determined by power levels alone. In HxH, there's so much thought and strategy involved in the battles. When a character wins, you feel they truly deserved it.

The characters are memorable and enjoyable. Off the top of my head, I could name dozens of characters from this series. They are as unique as their abilities. Some shounen series rely on repetitive character types, especially for villains. In HxH, the villains are among the best parts; they are well-developed and entertaining to watch.

The story isn't groundbreaking, but it's executed brilliantly. The overarching plot revolves around Gon's quest to find his father. However, like many ongoing manga, there are various story arcs. We see Gon mature and face numerous challenges as he grows as a hunter and helps his friends.

The art quality varies. Starting in the mid-2000s, I've experienced Togashi's frequent hiatuses. Sometimes, the art is beautiful and fits the story perfectly. Other times, it's clear that the artwork isn't as strong. Personally, this wasn't a significant issue for me (the art, not the breaks). Any new chapter was better than no new chapter.

Simply put, HxH is my favorite. I've read the manga multiple times and watched more than one version of the anime. I've probably spent more time with Gon and Killua than with any other manga or anime characters. It is both a manga and an anime (the 2011 version) that I can wholeheartedly recommend without reservations.

Note that while this series is effectively finished, it isn't truly concluded. Gon still has room to grow, and there are plenty of adventures ahead. His journey as a hunter has just begun, and his adventures with his friends have only just started. I've had to accept that I might not get to read all of his adventures, realizing it was perhaps naive to think otherwise. I've eagerly awaited new chapters through many hiatuses. But ultimately, I've come to understand that mangakas are people too. Unlike a novel, manga spans hundreds of chapters that need to be both written and drawn. It's taken time, but looking back, I have unabashed and total love for the series. Thank you, Togashi, and thank you, HxH.