'Hunter x Hunter' is terrible...or is it?
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"the start of the show was quite nice. It had a few things which didn’t really make any sense, especially the riddles, but it had a nice build up and a good pacing. It seemed to me as if the start also really wanted to surprise the viewers with something unexpected, regardless of how illogical it was.
It also didn’t do much good in terms of atmosphere, in some cases it even destroys the atmosphere it built up just for surprise reasons."
They're right, to an extent. "Hunter x Hunter" doesn't have the greatest atmosphere, which tends to be the case in most shounen anime. As the name of the genre literally translates to "young boy," it's standard to forego atmospheric build up in favor of building hype and fleshing out the characters. The attention span of most children is relatively short, so this seems to make sense.
Outside of these initial criticisms of the show, it's hard to side with the reviewer on anything else they say. Take this excerpt for example:
"A thing that really bothers me as well is the fact that this show has no scale what so ever. The abilities and the strength of every character are so completely random and out of order. It even shifts during the whole anime, making character who should be strong considering their rank utterly weak and character who should be weak unnecessary strong.
Its like as if one writer wrote the hierarchy of all the characters and their relationship and then another decided, because how much he liked their appearance how strong they are."
Shounen writing is often plagued with stale power hierarchies. While shows like "Dragon Ball Z" paved the way for modern series, it suffered to an extent because when you're the first show to do something, there aren't objective standards that dictate what works and what doesn't work.
Hence why DBZ suffers throughout its later arcs. It has the problem of defining power in a two-dimensional way, even at times using an actual number as a metric for defining it. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as "power escalation," which basically means power is two-dimensional, and thus can only go up or down.
This is where "Hunter x Hunter" innovates brilliantly and flourishes. It doesn't use a two-dimensional power system, it uses a system called "Nen." Nen is needlessly complex for the most part, but to make things brief, all the viewer needs to know is that there are six classes of Nen users, each excelling at something different.
This allows the show to create weaknesses among the cast without causing the power scaling to fluctuate at all. Take for example Gon, the main character of the show. Gon uses an ability that allows him to focus all of his power into his fist. Gon can then punch with the fist, and deal an astronomical amount of damage to his opponent.
Seems strong, right? How is he not the strongest character? Simply because while Gon's ability possesses a great deal of raw strength, it lacks coordination and defense. By focusing all of his energy into his fist, he opens himself up to attack from opponents while charging, an occurrence that happens quite a lot.
And that's just Gon's ability. Other characters have abilities akin to "stands" from "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure." These abilities range on a wide scale, but each one has defined weaknesses within the universe, making the fights significantly more entertaining to watch, since the victor is seldom decided from the start based on their in-universe ranking.
Still, the review remains rather tame. Nothing overly critical, it just seems like this person isn't a fan of shounen anime, which they mention at the beginning. And then, they start criticizing the Chimera Ant Arc.
Chimera Ant is just as polarizing as "Hunter x Hunter" is, and generally tends to be the make or break point for a lot of viewers. Either it's the best thing ever, or it's too slow and melodramatic. There are countless videos analyzing just how tightly constructed Chimera Ant is, but due to its pacing and themes, it's understandable that it wouldn't resonate with everyone.
But this reviewer doesn't reach for the low hanging fruit. No, they want a piece of the juggernaut, and boy, do they take their shot.
"The chimera arc is the worst thing I have seen in a long time in terms of writing. You can’t take anything they say and do seriously, since the character design is so freaking r***rded. They say they are ants but then a penguin and a pink panda in a suit is sitting there with them. NONE of the so called Ant-villains looks even remotely like an ant."
"Where villains came from and what their motivation is was never a thing HunterXHunter spends any time in but in this case it makes absolutely no sense that some ant-people who just came into existence are able to be as strong as one of the strongest person in the whole anime."
An interesting take. Depth is generally encouraged in any work of fiction, as it gives credence to both the scale of the world and the realism of the characters. But when "Hunter x Hunter" does it, it's bad? The reviewer doesn't even criticize the way the depth was portrayed, just that it exists at all, claiming that "Hunter x Hunter" doesn't spend time doing it, which is also just incorrect.
As far as the Chimera Ants' strength, that is also explained in the arc. Where they came from is discussed in a later arc, mainly because it isn't important in the context of the Chimera Ant Arc. The story just needs there to be ants that act on their biological whims, which they do.
Their strength can be attributed to phagogenesis as well. Nen, the power system of HxH, has biological components, and only a few characters can actually use it. Because of this, when the ants get their hands on a Nen user, they are able to replicate the biology required to properly take advantage of it.
It's also worth mentioning, that the "strongest character in the anime" is ill defined up until a certain point, due to the abstract nature of HxH's power system. However, there is a strongest character, and it's important to note that no, most of the ants are not stronger than he is. There exists one ant that is stronger, and that honor is reserved for the King of the ants.
"And with no time spend with motivation and personification the writers now believe they can put drama in the show when the villains die. Are you freaking kidding me? Yeah the ants just killed hundreds if not thousands of people and now I should feel sorry for them? The drama in this whole anime is the worst sort of melodrama, forced and reliable so much on double standarts."
This is possibly the worst part of the review, not just because they don't know what personification is, but also because they are criticizing something completely out of context.
The crown jewel of the Chimera Ant Arc is its redemption arc. The aforementioned King of the ants is half ant, half human, because the Queen had consumed primarily humans for sustenance before birthing the King.
The King is initially overwhelmed with power. Selfish and greedy, he leaves the nest prematurely, with his sights set on world domination. Nothing complex, and seemingly cliché, but it doesn't end there.
Now, the ants as a unit slaughtered an astronomical amount of humans, and their sins as a species are difficult to justify. The only proper way to even begin justifying it is imagining if the ants were any other species of animal. Is a bull shark at fault for killing a human when it has no concept of morality or ethics? Likely not, because it lacks the intelligence to consider the implications of its own actions.
And then "Hunter x Hunter" introduces the concept of reincarnation. As it turns out, most of the people killed by the ants in their onslaught were reincarnated as higher ranking soldiers. This is where the show frames them as a sympathetic species. Most of them are only ants in regards to their bodies. Their minds, behaviors, and personalities are what connect them to their past selves.
It's incredibly tragic, but never does the show attempt to justify the species killing the humans in the first place. And this is where the King becomes important.
The King himself is essentially a clean slate. Possessing the strength of a Chimera Ant and the sapience of a human, the King is initially driven towards conquest. He shows off his power by killing a family and their child, an effective display, both in power and in establishing him as the main villain of the arc. It's pretty difficult to side with an actual child murderer regardless of context.
The King then takes over a local government that oversees a region containing a few million people. Still consumed with the idea of domination, the King initiates a plan to turn every person into an ant-human to aid his conquest of the world. In order to enact this plan, he takes some time settling into the palace and honing his strategic talents.
He spends about a month claiming national championship titles for nearly every board game, like shogi and chess. It is at this point that "Hunter x Hunter" introduces a character that acts as a turning point for the arc.
Meet Komugi, a skilled professional at a fictional game known as "Gungi." The rules and objective of gungi aren't important for this discussion, or even for understanding what occurs throughout the rest of the arc. It is simply another game the King wants the title for.
But there's a problem. Komugi is blind and can't protect herself at all. With the power that the King possesses, she wouldn't even be a pebble on the road to world domination. And yet, she challenges every preconceived notion of power and resolve that the King was familiar with.
They spend the next several episodes fleshing out Komugi's character. She takes gungi unbelievably seriously. Being blind renders her unable to properly register the King as a real threat, since she assumes that he's human. And because of this, she plays with no fear, resolved to win each game, even going as far as to stake her life on a single game.
Though the King does not come close to winning, his intellect is still improving because it is constantly being challenged by this immovable object before him. Through challenging Komugi, he learns the value of human intellect and that strength transcends brute force.
This shatters his worldview to an extent, and he begins to consider living in tandem with humans, rather than bulldozing all of them without a second thought.
Fast forward a bit, and the palace is being invaded by a squad tasked with exterminating the Chimera Ant threat. During the invasion, the squad unknowingly harms Komugi, not even knowing of her existence prior to the operation. It is at this point the King's character arc reaches a massive turning point.
The King doesn't consider a counterattack, doesn't lash out at the invaders, but rather leaps to Komugi's aid, making sure she is taken care of before leaving with the invaders to discuss solutions diplomatically. The narration makes note of this drastic shift, citing that the invaders were in shock that the King was prioritizing a loved one over himself.
This is the crux of the King's arc. Is he human, or is he an ant? Biologically, he's barely human at all. But his intellect, behavior, and humility would suggest that he is human.
At this point, he engages in a fight with the invaders, but not before attempting to talk things out, which isn't even something that all humans do.
During this battle, Netero, the King's opponent, makes note of his turn in behavior and the rejection of the biological instincts that Chimera Ants survive on. Netero states that the king is teetering on the brink of human and ant, and offers to share the King's given name with him if Netero loses.
Wanting to connect himself more with his own humanity, the King obliges, a fight breaks out, and the King barely edges out. At this point, Netero reveals his trump card, a bomb implanted in his heart that is essentially on par with a nuclear bomb. Before detonating the bomb, Netero shares the King's name with him: Meruem, meaning "light that illuminates all."
Somehow, Meruem evades death, clinging on by a thread. After being rescued by his subordinates, he exhibits symptoms of amnesia, as a result of the explosion. The pieces of his memory slowly fall into place, but the bigger picture is still missing.
To make a long story short, the bomb that was detonated contained a toxin that ravages the body and spreads to those who come into contact with it. The King knows this and desperately searches for the one person who gave his life meaning. Circumstances regarding the detonation of the bomb only made Meruem stronger, but knowing he was destined to die anyway, he forsook his initial dreams.
After a lengthy search, Meruem reunited with Komugi, and the two spent their final moments together, playing gungi. Both of them believed that they were destined to meet, and that it was only fitting that they spend their final moments together.
As the toxin courses through Meruem's body, he grows weary, and begins to fall into a slumber. Wanting to feel connected to his humanity one last time, he asks Komugi to call him by his name as he slowly drifts into a sleep from which he will not wake.
Pardon the lengthy breakdown of a character arc that spans over 40 episodes, but it's crucial to understanding just how the ants as a species fit into Hunter x Hunter's philosophy of morality. It's hard to do such complex writing justice in an analytical breakdown, and it's best to experience it first-hand.
Either way, there reason why the ants become sympathetic is because, for the most part, they aren't ants. They possess the qualities and nuance that humanity builds off of, essentially making them humans. It's done slowly through their actions, but it's effective in showing the full gamut of what it means to be human, both the good and the evil.
As far as criticisms of the arc as a whole are concerned, thankfully, they are limited to what was already discussed at great length.
"Characters of this show are not in any terms special. Have you seen either Naruto, One Piece, Bleach you know the personality of the main character. Add a bunch of extra typical side characters and you got them all. It’s just the typical teenager character who is strong enough to change the world stuff.
In HunterXHunter they at least didnt go full overpowered with the main character, but considering the age of the protagonist and the enemies he is fighting later on I would say its pretty unrealistic. He is a very wish-fulfilling character and not that much of a role model.
I think there is nothing really wrong with this wish-fulfilling kind of anime, but they are really nothing for people older than their demographic (in mind of course). So saying this is more than a shounen is really wrong."
For the most part, this is valid criticism. On the surface, Gon isn't anything special. He has greater potential than most of the other characters in the universe, but ideologically, he doesn't have much to offer.
Except that he does. One of the biggest feats in "Hunter x Hunter" is how Gon is written and portrayed within the show. Shows like "Naruto" and "One Piece" feature children as their main characters, and still figure out ways to make them relevant to those who can't relate to the character's age, a single aspect of their character that basically means nothing.
Gon isn't a role model, which the reviewer has correctly pointed out. The only thing they seemed to miss was that this was intentional. An 11-year old child should never be anyone's role model, except of course, in very specific circumstances. Just in general, an 11-year old lacks perspective and experience, making them bad role models.
This is where "Hunter x Hunter" can really run wild with its writing. By not limiting Gon's character to virtue and humility, he can just be another character in the world with flaws. He's too innocent, he doesn't understand much about the real world and he doesn't care about much besides finding his father.
With these traits, the story can do so much to develop Gon over the lengthy 148-episode runtime. Relating to a character isn't the only way to appreciate them.
Witnessing the depth and development of a character does a lot for a show's worldbuilding and immersion, making the characters feel like friends that you are on a journey with. It's like relating to a character, without projecting yourself onto them. They can simply exist as someone you're familiar with and enjoy being around, which happens to be one of the main themes of "Hunter x Hunter."
That covers most of the review, aside from a few points that are riddled with grammatical errors to the point of incoherence and others that simply aren't worth rebutting.
It's important to understand as both a viewer and a critical thinker that you don't have to like something. Tastes are generally connected to your own experiences, and not every work in existence will resonate with you. But it's also important to understand your limits as a critic. Think about shows as you watch them.
Appreciate them, criticize them, whatever. Just don't be like this person and type out a loose stream of consciousness predicated on your bias against a genre as a whole, because then you'll likely fall into the trap of succumbing to that bias, and setting up your expectations for something based on preconceived notions rather than being able to appreciate something for what it is.
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