“Fearsome monsters. . . Exotic creatures. . . Vast riches. . . Hidden treasures. . . Evil enclaves. . . Unexplored lands. . . The word ‘unknown’ holds magic. And some incredible people are drawn to that magic. They are known . . . as hunters!”
(This is how the anime opens in the 2011 version for the first arc. It sounds a lot cooler in Japanese... I swear... 
) The world of Hunter X Hunter is filled with creativity and adventure. It’s clear to see that the creator, Yoshihiro Togashi, has put a lot of time and effort into making this series. (Thank you Togashi sensei!) I truly enjoyed every minute reading the manga and watching both the original anime and the remake. So for those who have yet to read the series, I hope you will give it a chance. *cough, cough* Anyways, for this review I will begin by giving a short guide to series, then describe the basic storyline & certain aspects of the series, and then I will conclude with my ratings. Hope you enjoy even though it’s a little long…
Available formats:
Original Anime (Hunter X Hunter 1999): 92 episodes long including the three OVAs
Hunter X Hunter 2011 Anime: 148 episodes long.
Manga: There are a total of 32 volumes that have been released which makes up at grand total of 349 chapter to date. The manga is another hiatus due to the mangaka’s back problems. (Poor guy!)
Movies: There are two movies, Phantom Rouge (2013) and The Last Mission (2013), but I have yet to check them out.
Live action musical: There is even a musical called “The Nightmare of Zaoldyeck” which is fairly good but mainly for a nice laugh. I haven’t completed it but the scenes that I’ve watched have been pure gold. You can watch it in English subtitles
here.Arc guide:
Hunter exam arc: In the 2011 version this takes place from episodes 1 to 21. However, you can
skip episode 13 if you want as it is just a recap episode. In the original anime this is episodes 1 to 30.
Zoldyck Family arc: In the 2011 version this takes place from episodes 22 to 26 but you can
skip episode 26 if you want as it is another recap episode. In the original anime, this is episodes 31 to 36.
Heavens arena arc: In the 2011 version this takes place from episodes 27 to 38. In the original anime this takes place from episodes 37 to 50.
Yorknew City arc: In the 2011 version this takes place from episodes 39 to 58. In the original anime it takes place from 51 to 62 and then continues in the OVA from episodes 63 to 70.
Greed Island arc: In the 2011 version this takes place from episodes 59 to 75. In the Original anime this is covered partially in the second OVA in episodes 71 to 78 and concludes in the third OVA for episodes 79 to 92.
Chimera ant arc: In the 2011 version this takes place for episodes 76 to 136. The original anime did not make it this far.
13th Hunter Chairman Election arc: In the 2011 version this takes place from episodes
137 to 148. The original anime did not make it this far.
Dark Continent arc: Manga only and the manga only covered the very beginning of this arc before going on another hiatus.
Spoiler free plot summary
The story is centered around a young boy named Gon who was raised by his aunt Mito on a small island called Whale Island. Gon grows up believing that both his father and mother were dead but later finds out from a visitor on the island that his dad is alive and well. In fact, his father, Ging, is a hunter and a legendary one at that who left Gon in the care of his cousin Mito so that he could pursue his dream career. Despite knowing that his father abandoned him, Gon is determined to become a hunter himself in order to figure out why this career was so important to his father that he would decide to leave him. So, at the young age of twelve Gon leaves his home in order to take the hunter exam, meeting some lifelong friends, enemies, and danger along the way.
So what exactly is a hunter?
Simply put, a hunter is an elite job or a title given to those who pass the hunter exam which is a dangerous, vigorous series of trails. Once the exam is passed, the new Hunter will receive multiple benefits due to their title. Those that hold the title of “Hunter” are considered to be one of bests at whatever career they choose to do. Needless to say, this opens a lot of doors for a Hunter to get work be it from individual people or powerful organizations. There are also other perks to being a hunter, as listed on the Hunter X Hunter Wiki:
1.
95% of all public facilities can be used at no cost. Furthermore, all such services are provided at first class.
2.
Unrivaled freedom to travel around the world. Access is granted to about 90% of countries which normally restrict the entry of outsiders, and access to 75% of areas that the general public is prohibited from entering.
3.
Almost no legal responsibility for murder.
4.
The ability to sell the Hunter License as a valuable collector's item. Though only the original owner of a Hunter License can take advantage of its normal benefits, it can be still sold for enough money to support the seller for at least 7 generations in luxury.
5.
The ability to use the license as collateral for a zero-interest loan of 100 million jenny (approximately 90 million yen) at any bank.
6.
Access to the secret Hunters Only Website, where secret intelligence about various subjects, uploaded by other Hunters, can be purchased.
With all of these perks, it’s no wonder this career choice is the most sought after in the Hunter X Hunter universe despite the fact that you might meet an untimely death during the hunter exam.
Types of Hunters
There’s endless possibilities of career paths a hunter can work in as the only thing all hunters have in common is that they know some sort of martial arts and have a basic understanding of Nen. Here’s a list of known “types of Hunters” as listed on Hunter X Hunter wiki (Again
) :
Archaeological Hunters- Hunters who are dedicated to uncovering ruins and reviving ancient societies.
Beast Hunters- Hunters who feel a deep love for nature; their job involves the study and preservation of undiscovered animal species. There are two subcategories of Beast Hunter—Exotic Game Hunters and UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animal) Hunters.
Blacklist Hunters- Hunters who dedicate their skills to tracking down dangerous and wanted criminals.
Botanical Hunters- Hunters with a great knowledge about plants, that also search and collect them.
Contract Hunters- Hunters who are hired by corporations in order to do specific jobs, such as biological survey, ecological research or any other miscellaneous job.
Deep Sea Hunters- Hunters who operate in seas looking either for animals or treasure.
Gourmet Hunters- Hunters whose goal is to find and collect rare ingredients, then bring their flavors to life by using new and creative styles of cooking recipes.
Hacker Hunters- Hunters who have vast knowledge of computers and specialize in working with the Internet and dealing with cybercrimes.
Head Hunters- Hunters who specialize in discovering and cultivating new talents.
Information Hunters- Hunters who love knowledge of all sorts and will go to great lengths to uncover rare or hidden bits of information. Common activities for Information Hunters include searching for rare books, hacking to retrieve protected data, and tracking down people who know desired facts.
Music Hunters- Catered towards the musically talented, Music Hunters are ones in pursuit of rare musical pieces.
. . . And the list goes on. . . and on. . . and on. . . Fighting system: main points
The main fighting system in this anime is call nen and it doesn’t really show up much until the third arc. (It’s there but our main characters don’t know about it and it’s only shown very briefly.) To put it simply, every living creature has nen as it is their very life-force itself, however, not everyone knows about it or how to use it. Here’s a breakdown on the terminology:
Aura: Aura is your life-force itself and when you learn how to control it you are using nen. There are four different terms to know to describe different aspects of nen; they are known as Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
Ten: This is one of the first steps in mastering nen and it entails surrounding yourself with your own aura. It will help defend against “emotional attacks” by other nen users but will not defend against physical attacks.
Zetsu: This will stop the flow of aura from flowing and or leaking out. It can help in tracking someone, as they are more sensitive to their nen, and can prevent other nen users from noticing them. This is the second step in mastering Nen.
Ren: The third step in learning nen involves releasing large amounts of aura to surround the body. This will increase one’s physical strength, durability, and help with the use of their hatsu.
Hatsu: The final step in learning nen is where you can finally make your nen your own as this is when special abilities come into play. (In fact, it is said that you have to really make it your own in order to master your nen’s ability.) There are six categories of Hatsu and everyone is inborn with the ablility to master one of the categories (it’s your aura type). These categories are: Enhancer, Transmuter, Conjurer, Emitter, Manipulator, and Specialist. To learn more about Nen types and their user’s corresponding personality types,
click here.
My personal rating:
Art style: Original anime: 8/10 2011 version: 10/10 Manga: 9/10
Despite the dispute within the fandom of Hunter X Hunter, I believe that both versions have their own merits and both tend to have their own shining moments. One might be more censored in one area and dark and gory in another but the other version will cover different areas the other censored and vica versa.
Music: Original anime: 8/10 2011 version: 9/10
Voice Acting: Original anime and 2011 version in Japanese: 10/10 Original anime English dub: 2/10
… and I gave the English dub a little more than I probably should have. I think my ears are still bleeding… Ugh….The Japanese voice acting is spot on in both versions, as it typically is in anime. One point I really enjoyed of the older version is that the voice actress who plays Gon also plays Naruto which brought back some memories from junior high. She’s a talented voice actress and really nice and funny from what I saw at an anime convention that she attended. (Even though she was shocked at our sidewalks and how loud we cheer. XD )Storyline: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Like the Hunter X Hunter universe? Join our RP called “Nen’s arcana” and create your own unique character. The Hunter X Hunter universe allows for endless creativity so join us and let your creative juices flow! Click Here to begin your journey as a Hunter! 
Hiiii! This is Rangiku I welcome anyone browsing this forum through the Shoutbox on the left!
Thu Dec 01, 2016 1:48 pm by 
which is enjoyable of course.
).
has made it difficult for me to catch as it airs but thankfully they upload the episodes on Toonami's website! 
I'm really enjoying it so far!