Intro: Well, I only decided to write this review because I like Hxh a lot, and find it to be extremely well crafted. So nothing new, lol. In any-case, while I do think it’s undeniably well constructed and the world of Hxh is so big, hence the crazy amount of lore, I do understand where a lot of the criticism towards Hxh comes from, specifically the manga, which I will indeed go over later on. Also, I’ll add a “small” section right below the different aspects of Hxh (the characters/story) where I talk about my experience with Hxh and what it means for me in
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totality. So, if you don’t wanna read that, u can skip it.👍
This “Review” will contain a few minor spoilers, every now and then. Nothing that big, though. Especially not something that could potentially ruin one’s experience with it… But, if you don’t want to read it for that simple reason nor want to be spoiled, then sure, don’t read it. Well y’all have been warned.
Story; Nothing much to say about the plot, other than it follows Gon on his journey to find his “dad” whilst at the same time, discovering why his dad wasn’t there while he grew up (of course, it’s already stated from the get-go that his dad is a Hunter.) and gradually learning what it means to be a hunter. Anyways, while traveling around he meets a lot of different people. Some people that basically becomes his best friends, them being Kurapika/Leorio/Killua. As the story starts to progress, the main characters starts to slowly achieve their goals, or at the bare minimum try to. Whilst still holding up their friendship, also crossing paths with each other at-times (well Killua and Gon are together throughout most of the story). The story flows extremely well throughout a big portion of the story. But, then again, there’s times where the story is utterly dragged out, to such an extent that it almost becomes unbearable to read for some readers, so keep that in mind.
Hxh is also extremely symbolic in a lot of ways, especially the setting, the world building, etc. Like, for example, the World Tree; It’s used to essentially showcase how there’s always something new to find, learn, explore, etc. Of course, given the nature of the tree. There’s always something else to do/achieve, once you succeed at what you wanted/was longing for, as long as the world is infinite (something Hxh is or at least within the perspective of possibilities). This is extremely important, and I’ll explain why now; What does it essentially mean to be a hunter, to hunt for something, or to essentially just have a goal in mind? Like Hxh deconstructs these questions astonishingly well (the narrative, the characters, the world of Hxh and Hxh in totality). Now to put it simply, having a clear goal in mind is always good, however it’s not always absolute, there may be times and there will be times where you realize that in actuality the most important thing isn’t necessarily achieving your goal or your end destination. But rather the Journey itself, Ging especially agrees with this, in-fact, he said it himself. The perhaps most significant thing that could possibly happen to Gon throughout his journey to find his father, isn’t something we realize before the end. It’s something he (himself doesn’t realize) it’s the friends he made along the way, it’s the life lessons he’s been taught, it’s his entire journey, and that’s what makes the story so great (imo). Also how our motives, goals, feelings (the stuff that matters the most to one-self) isn’t always clear-cut. It’s up to ourselves to essentially discover what we care about, what we appreciate and what makes us us. Anyways, that’s what I believe Hxh is about. The same could be said for the ants/ humans, and how they’re essentially 2 sides of the same coin. Like despite our differences, it’s up to us-self to define ourselves… Also, Its usage of tonal shifts is astoundingly well handled, which is really important.
Currently… Gon’s journey has come to an end, or for now at least, but as it’s Hxh, this isn’t the end of course. Despite that, the story is still “flowing” surprisingly well, and it’s essentially getting really fleshed out, and I'm liking the route the story is heading towards. Overall, the story is fairly coherent (yet not, given Togashi’s subtle way of expressing/placing details) and really significant in its own right, despite definitely feeling “fairly”convoluted at times, which I’ll talk about later on.
Another thing you could argue is that the point of hxh is that it’s not necessarily about a specific person and their goals and dreams, however, it is more-so about exploring the world and what’s unknown, and find out what it has to offer. Even so, that doesn’t make us meaningless, yes the world is infinite and will continue even when we don’t exist anymore. But we carry significant value through our journeys, enough to impact the world by even just a tiny amount, but the fact is, we amount to something.
Personal experience with the story: Hxh has impacted me in a lot of ways, mostly in-terms of my “everyday life”and “worldview” however, that’s also partially why my love for Hxh will only continue to grow - as time passes by. But, surprisingly it took an entire rewatch and re-read to re-establish my love for Hxh, after I forgot about it. then again, I believe that served as a purpose. Because now, I’d say it only further strengthened my love towards the series, and I don’t rlly see it changing anytime soon. Especially as I have now come to not only understand, but also realize the reason why I now love it so much, thus also appreciating Hxh a lot more. Anyways, Hxh for me has been an emotional rollercoaster, at times it’s been fairly heart-wrenching, having made me cry (doesn’t happen too often) but also feel happiness, pain, gratefulness and appreciation for a simple piece of fiction and towards a whole other person, someone who got nothing to do with me at-all, besides just making a piece of literature that isn’t just meant for 1 specific person (other than maybe himself) but rather everyone. All in all, I’ll definitely never forget my experience with it, no matter what, or at least I hope I don’t. I also feel like one’s connection to the work further strengthens the writing of the work in talk and also strengthens the connection between the reader/consumer and then the creator of the work.
Conclusion: the Story is absolutely incredible to say the least, it’s flowerful and is definitely worthy of the praise it’s gotten. I’d give it a 8.75/10
Art: not much to say tbh, other than it showcases the type of writer Togashi is - in how he decides to essentially express different details. But yeah, the art does indeed get extremely messy at times, which makes it difficult to essentially binge or just read in general. However by no means am I saying the art is bad all around, in fact it’s the exact opposite. It’s obvious that Togashi definitely knows how to draw and whenever he takes it seriously, he ends up drawing extremely well. Then again, I understand why someone would criticize the overall art quality. However, there’s not much to criticize about the Ca arc, as there’s extremely many well drawn panels such as in that arc, such as - Pouf’s ant face, Netero’s heart, the Poor man’s rose, etc. In conclusion it’s safe to say drawing isn’t quite Togashi’s strongpoint when it comes to story making and his skills as a mangaka, nor does it need to be. Not everyone can draw as well as Miura, Inoue, Ishida, Kubo and Murata after-all.
I’ll give the art a 7/10. Not too bad, nor too good either.
The cast: The cast is undeniably one of Hunter X Hunter’s strongpoints, being second to only that of the world itself. Despite that, what makes the cast so wonderfully constructed isn’t a specific character’s individual strength. Of course, some characters definitely shine more than others, however not by much, or at least not to the extent where you could say they’re astronomically clear of the cast, other than maybe Meruem? That’s what’s so special about the likes of Hxh and Op (for example) the fact that either work isn’t completely reliant on the different characters and their individual strengths. But rather, the cast as a unity, that’s what makes them so significant, to say the least. That’s not to say Hxh lacks individual strength, because it doesn’t. Some of the characters are exceptionally well grounded in their expression whilst being extremely symbolic. Another thing that makes the cast feel so alive/ real is their overall interactions with each other, different characters are given different personalities, perspectives, motives, etc. Some are really “mysterious” (Pariston/ Ging) while others are extremely predictable. None of the characters feel flat at all either. In fact, they feel very much real. Another thing that drastically affects the cast’s strength is that of their very differing functionality, essentially some of them functioning as literally symbols rather than just merely characters. For example Ging, he’s possibly the perfect representation of the ideas Togashi decided to initially incorporate into the narrative of Hxh. For example, how drastically he affects the different characters in hxh, despite not even being present throughout most of the story/ nor the characters lives (Gon, lmao) Again, as aforementioned, Ging’s conversation at the “world’s tree” should be enough proof in this case! There’s also a lot of different symbolic references apparent in the manga, most of them being essentially depicted through the different characters. So that’s definitely not to say, the characters functionality is the only strongpoint the cast got. Some of these “symbolic” ideas are used as foundations for 1. Reasonings behind some characters actions 2. their dynamics 3. Their entire core/ functionality/ existence. Funnily, most of these happen to especially correlate to Chrollo’s character and his essential relationship with other people, I’ll talk about some of the references now; the absurd amount of references to St. Peter, for example the cross of St. Peter, commonly known as the Inverted cross. The Indoor fish too, is an obvious reference to him, as in fact, St. Peter was a fisherman. Then there’s also the (of course) obvious references to Jesus, like for example the spider got 12 legs, Jesus had 12 apostles. There was 1 traitor (Judas) there’s also 1 traitor in the phantom troupe (Hisoka) Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Chrollo was betrayed by Hisoka. We even see Chrollo talk about Judas (once) in any case, there’s also a lot of other symbolic references, too. Like for example the contrast between Meruem/Pouf - and in how Pouf is essentially in no way equal to the king, which he accepts himself, however he holds himself to the second highest regard possible, only below that of the king, hence why his skin is a lighter shade of purple (royalty). Also for example the fight between the king and a specific human too consists of a numerous amount of symbolic references along with some really great parallels. The king being one of the youngest of his kind, the other person being one of the oldest, etc. Another thing is the names of the royal guards, they’re after-all references to Egyptian deities. The cast of Hxh is also extremely enjoyable all around, there’s a lot of likable characters, and it’s safe to say Togashi isn’t scared of throwing development into his characters whenever he gets the chance. Another thing Hxh really excels in, is further characterize the different characters, visually too. Nen being the perfect example, for example the different categories, one’s own unique ability/ how they correlate to one’s personality, etc. or even at times, lack of individuality? For example, Chrollo’s ability showcases his lack of individuality/ identity perfectly, and how he’s essentially trying to set his own mark on other people’s identities, hence the palm on the book. Like how integral nen really is to one’s identity. Chrollo got no identity, or that’s what he essentially believes = he cannot form an ability of his own, so instead, he has to take others. Kurapika’s too, it represents his desire to take down the troupe extremely well, Gon too has been nothing but great. His representation of hypocrisy is done in a great manner. So yeah, the cast is extremely detailed and well written, whilst being extremely rich symbolically and in terms of characterization as a whole… To furthermore explain the real stuff, it says a lot when Togashi himself stated Hisoka was his fav character for that reason, like when he writes him, he’s mostly thinking about Hisoka’s personality, rather than his own, so pretty much, he’s letting Hisoka write his story (kinda funny)
Personal experience with the cast; what I adore about the cast specifically, is how much better they made the story for me, for example experiencing Kurapika’s journey was something I really enjoyed, and he had his moments that definitely left me satisfied. I also still think about a lot of the characters, once in a while. Mostly Kurapika, Chrollo and then the King. All in all, I got nothing bad to say about the cast!
In conclusion:
Individually I’d give the cast a 7/10, nothing too spectacular or unordinary. But still good and well presented.
In unity? I’ll definitely give it a 9/10, like there wasn’t really a specific character I liked the most, they were mostly just all great.
Praise: A thing I really like about Hxh is the way the details are shown. Some are extremely subtle and delivered in an absurdly uncanny, funky and weird manner. For example; Togashi subconsciously adding a few different reasonings/symbolic meanings behind Hisoka's weird mannerisms. (he himself backs this up). It shows how talented and much of a freak Togashi actually is, and how detailed Hxh is, despite a big fraction of the story’s depth/details feeling off and misplaced at times, but then again, that’s more due to the subtle nature of his writing style, than anything.
Criticism towards the story of Hxh:
Like I can understand why people dislike the amount of Dialogue Hxh contains. For example the constant explanations of different things, along with the absurd amount of different character Introductions - specifically referring to the Succession Contest. It can be unbearable and nearly impossible to push through, and then actually understand/remember all the stuff that’s happening. I however, disagree a lot. I find it to be extremely important for characterizing the setting of Hxh even further (again the world being “Infinite”/ feeling somewhat real) and in how the different characters interact with each other. But, then again. Yeah, the criticism is valid, and it’s not for everyone.
Personal Criticism which I have yet to see others actually talk that much about… Funnily, this here can both be seen as criticism and praise towards Togashi. What I’m referring to is that Togashi has a tendency to essentially add some “minor” details/ ideas and such, sometimes even “major” details/ideas, and then never touch them again, while it’s definitely intentional at times and may be something he plan on fleshing out later on, there’s no denying it’s not always the case. Now that we got this clear, it’s safe to say this isn’t exactly helping him with some of the criticism he and Hxh has faced in regards to the absurd amount of dialogue and different characters, it’s not really making Hxh any less convoluted either - in fact, it’s the complete opposite. However, this isn’t entirely a bad thing. I’d argue it’s one of Togashi’s strengths as a writer, in how he’s willingly leaving different ideas be and is instead focusing on newer ones or perhaps more significant ones. The reason being? He’s essentially developing as a writer/ mangaka as the story progresses, he’s going with the flow, changing things when he wants, etc. This is really fitting for the world of Hxh, right? Basically, Hxh and Togashi are a perfect match for each other. Togashi’s organic way of developing as a mangaka is fairly similar to Gon’s in a way, or rather to what Hxh is about in reality. For example Togashi (obviously) has a clear end-goal in mind, the same goes for Gon/ or even the likes of Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, the king, etc. He got an end destination, however at the same time, the way he reaches that goal isn’t exactly clear/absolute, that allows for changes, it allows for development, improvement, it allows for all of these aspects and more to develop in an extremely organic manner, and doesn’t feel forced at all. These things are both in regards to the world of Hxh and Togashi as a writer. In any case, that’s what makes Hxh even better (imo) Hxh could never have functioned like this, if Togashi wasn’t the one actualizing these thoughts and then writing it.
Sounds familiar, right? It’s the exact same stuff I mentioned earlier, like the actual meaning behind the world of a hunter or just Hxh, and why it’s so fucking significant.
So in conclusion; if you can push through the heavy and absurd amount of dialogue, then you’re in for one hell of a ride. But, if not, then that’s okay. I’d suggest you go watch the anime, though. But I just feel like, watching the anime and then starting from where the anime leaves off, is extremely hard, as you’re literally thrown into that diabolical “textbook”. Actually it’s a lot harder than if you read it from the get-go. But in any case, if you don’t get discouraged from reading stuff with that much text, then I’d definitely recommend reading Hxh - it’s goated asf, and as the story is slowly progressing (despite being on a hiatus rn, god I hope it continues) I’m sure it’ll just keep getting better and better, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come. I’m sure the likes of Chrollo and Kurapika (once being fully fleshed out) will be astronomically clear of the likes of Netero and perhaps Meruem; the 2 best characters so far.
So, yeah, I’ll give it a 10/10. Also, thanks for reading, if you actually took the time to do so. Lastly, sorry for the absurd amount of text😭
Jan 4, 2023
Hunter x Hunter
(Manga)
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Intro: Well, I only decided to write this review because I like Hxh a lot, and find it to be extremely well crafted. So nothing new, lol. In any-case, while I do think it’s undeniably well constructed and the world of Hxh is so big, hence the crazy amount of lore, I do understand where a lot of the criticism towards Hxh comes from, specifically the manga, which I will indeed go over later on. Also, I’ll add a “small” section right below the different aspects of Hxh (the characters/story) where I talk about my experience with Hxh and what it means for me in
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