As it says in the title, I recently finished watching Hunter x Hunter and decided to share my thoughts about the series. First, I'll start with my general positive/negative opinions about the series, then I'll talk about each arc in more detail.
The Positives:
+Exceptional character work. I think this is the strongest aspect of Hunter x Hunter. This show has an emotional depth that I've only encountered in a few other shounen anime.
+It handles a large cast of characters surprisingly well. This aspect remains consistent even in the worst arcs.
+Battles are written intelligently. When characters face an opponent stronger than themselves, they are forced to close the power gap by devising strategies centered around their specific Nen abilities. No last-minute power-ups to save the day.
+Togashi is very successful at crafting intricate plots. The way he juggles multiple sub-plots simultaneously and then converges them into one is very impressive.
The Negatives:
-The Worldbuilding is lacking, to say the least. Cities/Countries/Continents in HxH are just slightly altered versions of real life cities/countries/continents. Togashi seems to have put no thought into anything other than the Nen system. Even the Hunters, who are central to the story, have surface-level worldbuilding.
-The show sometimes tries so hard to avoid general shonen storytelling structures and tropes that it ends up being anticlimactic.
-Togashi has an excessive habit of "saving things for later" which causes some arcs to feel like they have no significant content. Viewers/readers must reach a point of complete satisfaction at some point. You can't kick the can down the road forever.
Now, let's get to the arcs:
The Hunter Exam Arc: 8.5/10
The original 1999 anime adaptation of Hunter Exam Arc is my favorite Hunter x Hunter content. The setting is pretty typical for a battle shounen but the way it is planned and executed is almost perfect. While watching the anime, I paused the episodes many times and asked myself, "How would I do this differently?" and I couldn't come up with anything better than what was already happening on screen. This arc basically has everything a shonen introductory arc should have: Complex characters, strong emotional moments, convincing challenges, and a satisfying wrap-up.
Zoldyck Mansion Arc: 4/10
This is generally not considered to be an arc but I still wanted to comment on it separately because its subject matter is different enough from the Hunter Exam. Whole point of this "mini-arc" is to introduce Zoldyck family to the viewer. I think it does a poor job in this regard. We learn more about the butlers of the Zoldyck family than about the Zoldyck family itself. It feels like a missed opportunity to expand the Zoldyck lore.
Heavens Arena Arc: 4.5/10
A short arc that is meant to be an introduction to the Nen system. New characters are quite boring and enemies don't feel threatening in the slightest. I would normally give this a 4/10 but I elevated its rating to 4.5/10 because of the episode where Gon finally lands a punch on Hisoka and gives his badge back. That was a good moment.
Yorknew City Arc: 7/10
First major arc after the Hunter Exam. I liked Kurapika's nen ability. The chains are a good counter to the abilities of the Phantom Troupe and also visually and conceptually suit Kurapika's character. Speaking of the Phantom Troupe, they were decent but nothing exceptional. I expected to see more from them. Especially from Chrollo since he's their leader and has a very unique ability. I liked his short battle with the Zoldycks and the little exchange between Zeno and Chrollo after the fight (although I wished he dealt more damage to either one of the Zoldycks). Overall, this was a good arc. My second favorite after the Hunter Exam.
Greed Island Arc: 3/10
I absolutely detest anything RPG/Iseakai in anime so this was the worst arc for me. I didn't like Bisky or any of the newly introduced characters. The author tried to connect the Chrollo/Phantom Troupe sub-plot to this arc but I think it was unnecessary and felt like just an excuse to get Hisoka in. Also, the part where Gon and co. played dodgeball against Razor is easily my least favorite part in the series. It was so ridiculous.
Chimera Ant Arc: 5.5/10
I really tried to like this arc. Even before I started watching HxH, I was aware that the Chimera Ant Arc was considered by many to be the peak of HxH and one of the best shounen arcs of all time, so I had high expectations. When I finally finished watching it, I was genuinely appalled by the mismatch between this arc's reputation and the impression it left on me. I don't want this post to be too long, so I'll briefly list the reasons why I gave this arc such a low rating:
-This arc completely drops all of the main plot threads established in previous arcs and focuses on a complelty new story for 61 episodes. This whole thing is essentially a glorified filler with only 3 canon events that actually matter: Netero's death, Kite's "death", and Gon's hospitalization. All of these key events could've happened through other ways without all the nonsense about the Chimera Ants.
-Chimera Ant concept represents a radical change in what HxH is about. Chimera Ant Arc could've been a nice short story on its own with some rewrites but it simply doesn't make sense as an HxH arc.
-Nen abilities of Chimera Ants are simply broken and they don't need any training to use them. They're just born with the abilities. I don't care if there's a lore reason for why they're so powerful. Characters that strong simply shouldn't exist in HxH verse.
-This arc has no understanding of momentum. Whenever the story gains some momentum it immediately kills it with some sub-plot about the newly created characters I don't care about.
-Bunch of new characters I simply don't care about such as Palm, Ikalgo, Welfin, Bizeff, Koala, Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, Menthuthuyoupi and so much more.
-Political commentary as subtle as someone hitting you in the face with a brick.
13th Chairman Election Arc: 4/10
Nothing extraordinary. A short arc about the aftermath of Chimera Ant and some teasing about the next big arc. Gon finally meets his father but it feels underwhelming somehow which is shocking given that the whole story was leading to this moment. Also, Zoldyck family is just a get out of jail free card Togashi plays whenever he writes himself into a difficult situation at this point. Alluka Zoldyck is a complete ass-pull character whose only purpose is to heal Gon.
The Positives:
+Exceptional character work. I think this is the strongest aspect of Hunter x Hunter. This show has an emotional depth that I've only encountered in a few other shounen anime.
+It handles a large cast of characters surprisingly well. This aspect remains consistent even in the worst arcs.
+Battles are written intelligently. When characters face an opponent stronger than themselves, they are forced to close the power gap by devising strategies centered around their specific Nen abilities. No last-minute power-ups to save the day.
+Togashi is very successful at crafting intricate plots. The way he juggles multiple sub-plots simultaneously and then converges them into one is very impressive.
The Negatives:
-The Worldbuilding is lacking, to say the least. Cities/Countries/Continents in HxH are just slightly altered versions of real life cities/countries/continents. Togashi seems to have put no thought into anything other than the Nen system. Even the Hunters, who are central to the story, have surface-level worldbuilding.
-The show sometimes tries so hard to avoid general shonen storytelling structures and tropes that it ends up being anticlimactic.
-Togashi has an excessive habit of "saving things for later" which causes some arcs to feel like they have no significant content. Viewers/readers must reach a point of complete satisfaction at some point. You can't kick the can down the road forever.
Now, let's get to the arcs:
The Hunter Exam Arc: 8.5/10
The original 1999 anime adaptation of Hunter Exam Arc is my favorite Hunter x Hunter content. The setting is pretty typical for a battle shounen but the way it is planned and executed is almost perfect. While watching the anime, I paused the episodes many times and asked myself, "How would I do this differently?" and I couldn't come up with anything better than what was already happening on screen. This arc basically has everything a shonen introductory arc should have: Complex characters, strong emotional moments, convincing challenges, and a satisfying wrap-up.
Zoldyck Mansion Arc: 4/10
This is generally not considered to be an arc but I still wanted to comment on it separately because its subject matter is different enough from the Hunter Exam. Whole point of this "mini-arc" is to introduce Zoldyck family to the viewer. I think it does a poor job in this regard. We learn more about the butlers of the Zoldyck family than about the Zoldyck family itself. It feels like a missed opportunity to expand the Zoldyck lore.
Heavens Arena Arc: 4.5/10
A short arc that is meant to be an introduction to the Nen system. New characters are quite boring and enemies don't feel threatening in the slightest. I would normally give this a 4/10 but I elevated its rating to 4.5/10 because of the episode where Gon finally lands a punch on Hisoka and gives his badge back. That was a good moment.
Yorknew City Arc: 7/10
First major arc after the Hunter Exam. I liked Kurapika's nen ability. The chains are a good counter to the abilities of the Phantom Troupe and also visually and conceptually suit Kurapika's character. Speaking of the Phantom Troupe, they were decent but nothing exceptional. I expected to see more from them. Especially from Chrollo since he's their leader and has a very unique ability. I liked his short battle with the Zoldycks and the little exchange between Zeno and Chrollo after the fight (although I wished he dealt more damage to either one of the Zoldycks). Overall, this was a good arc. My second favorite after the Hunter Exam.
Greed Island Arc: 3/10
I absolutely detest anything RPG/Iseakai in anime so this was the worst arc for me. I didn't like Bisky or any of the newly introduced characters. The author tried to connect the Chrollo/Phantom Troupe sub-plot to this arc but I think it was unnecessary and felt like just an excuse to get Hisoka in. Also, the part where Gon and co. played dodgeball against Razor is easily my least favorite part in the series. It was so ridiculous.
Chimera Ant Arc: 5.5/10
I really tried to like this arc. Even before I started watching HxH, I was aware that the Chimera Ant Arc was considered by many to be the peak of HxH and one of the best shounen arcs of all time, so I had high expectations. When I finally finished watching it, I was genuinely appalled by the mismatch between this arc's reputation and the impression it left on me. I don't want this post to be too long, so I'll briefly list the reasons why I gave this arc such a low rating:
-This arc completely drops all of the main plot threads established in previous arcs and focuses on a complelty new story for 61 episodes. This whole thing is essentially a glorified filler with only 3 canon events that actually matter: Netero's death, Kite's "death", and Gon's hospitalization. All of these key events could've happened through other ways without all the nonsense about the Chimera Ants.
-Chimera Ant concept represents a radical change in what HxH is about. Chimera Ant Arc could've been a nice short story on its own with some rewrites but it simply doesn't make sense as an HxH arc.
-Nen abilities of Chimera Ants are simply broken and they don't need any training to use them. They're just born with the abilities. I don't care if there's a lore reason for why they're so powerful. Characters that strong simply shouldn't exist in HxH verse.
-This arc has no understanding of momentum. Whenever the story gains some momentum it immediately kills it with some sub-plot about the newly created characters I don't care about.
-Bunch of new characters I simply don't care about such as Palm, Ikalgo, Welfin, Bizeff, Koala, Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, Menthuthuyoupi and so much more.
-Political commentary as subtle as someone hitting you in the face with a brick.
13th Chairman Election Arc: 4/10
Nothing extraordinary. A short arc about the aftermath of Chimera Ant and some teasing about the next big arc. Gon finally meets his father but it feels underwhelming somehow which is shocking given that the whole story was leading to this moment. Also, Zoldyck family is just a get out of jail free card Togashi plays whenever he writes himself into a difficult situation at this point. Alluka Zoldyck is a complete ass-pull character whose only purpose is to heal Gon.
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