Hunter X Hunter (2011)
IS IT OVERRATED?
Being the third highest-rated anime on MyAnimeList, Hunter X Hunter is one of the most popular shounen anime in the entire world. This anime is the second adaption of the source material, and it started airing back in 2011.
Just like much other shounen anime series, Hunter X Hunter gives us an action-filled story that manages to entertain us in every single episode.
I believe that Hunter X Hunter is overrated. I am not trying to imply that it is a bad anime! Hunter X Hunter is an awesome shounen anime. However, there are a lot of drawbacks in this series that need to get acknowledged.
Today, I will give you my honest review of every aspect of this anime that affects our overall experience. Please note that I will be mentioning some spoilers as well, so you should proceed with caution.
Plot
This anime’s plot follows a young boy named Gon Freecss, a cheerful boy who wants to become a pro hunter. A hunter is someone who finds all the lost treasures of this world and captures wanted criminals. Our boy Gon wants to become a hunter to find his father, who abandoned him as a little kid.
After embarking on his journey, Gon quickly realizes that the adventure ahead of him will not be an easy one. Along the way, Gon makes a lot of close friends who help him conquer all the dangerous hurdles in his life.
The plot of this anime follows the usual shounen-formula, and it does not sound all that interesting. However, as we all know, it’s the story progression that matters in every shounen series. And yes, Hunter X Hunter does deliver in that aspect; however, I still find it a bit stale.
Story Progression
The story progression in this anime was pretty good! The anime shows us all the different adventures of our boy Gon and his comrades. Each arc has pretty good pacing, and we find enough time to get invested. The thing that I dislike regarding the story progression is the fact that things don’t change much throughout the entire show. While the arcs in the story were all pretty entertaining to watch, we did not get to see much character development. Even by the end of the anime, Gon’s character had not seen any significant character development.
Talking about the ending, let me just put this out there:
THE ENDING WAS NOT GOOD!
I don’t know about other watchers of the series, but I was not satisfied by the end of the show. The ending seemed pretty incomplete as we did not see much interaction between Gon and his father. Overall, the show also looks quite vague, with lots of unfilled gaps in the story. The show did not tell us about the powers and aspirations of any other pro hunters. Also, Ging’s character seemed pretty unlikeable even at the end.
Animation
Being animated by the legendary Madhouse Studio, the animation is one of Hunter X Hunter’s strongest suits. The animation in this anime looks exceptionally fluid, and the fight scenes get you invested instantly. All the fights in this series are incredibly well-choreographed, and they put us at the edge of our seats. The transitions between different scenes are also handled correctly.
The art style of this fantastic anime is also unique and recognizable. The art style is somewhat old-school with a cartoonish touch. The brilliant animation and art style make this show one of the best shounen anime series.
Soundtracks
Just like the animation, the soundtracks in this anime are also nothing short of amazing. All the soundtracks are incredibly motivational, and they get us wholly immersed in the story. The opening and ending themes in the story are also quite rememberable and nicely executed.
Characters
As you might’ve already guessed, the characters in this show don’t have the best development. While most of the characters are pretty unique and interesting, the creators could have given them better implementation. I found it very hard to build any kind of emotional attachment with the characters in this series. Let us take a closer look at some of the characters in this show.
The protagonist, Gon Freecss, did not see much character development. While he did get physically stronger by the end of the series, personality-wise, Gon didn’t mature in any way even after his insane adventures.
Killua is a main character in the show and also my favorite character. Unlike most of the other characters, Killua did get decent character development.
Hisoka is a pretty well-built side character in the series. He is not the main enemy of our heroes, but his psychotic nature makes him one of the show’s antagonists. This character is also implemented quite nicely in the show.
Ging Freecss is the father of Gon and also the most disappointing character in the entire series. I’d call this man the worst father ever for not caring about the well-being of his son in the slightest. Also, because his meeting with Gon was supposed to be the most significant event of the entire story, the meeting at the end of the anime was pretty dull and unexciting. Ging is a poorly written character in the series whose personality seemed quite incomplete and fake.
Conclusion
Yes, Hunter X Hunter is an overrated shounen anime. While this show has some memorable and touching moments like Meruem’s death, most of it is only useful as entertainment.
The anime seems incomplete because it has not wholly adapted the manga’s original story, but we probably won’t get a second season of this series.
I’d personally give this show a 7.5 out of 10, and I would recommend this shounen anime to the anime fans looking for something enjoyable.
