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"Hunter x Hunter" (1999) More at IMDbPro »

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17 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Starts of really bad. But oh how it grows!, 16 November 2005

Author: Odi Bitz

Before you start reading I just want to say that I am only on episode 56.

I was recommended by some people to watch this anime. All the persons I spoke to said it was one of the best things they had ever seen. So I gave it a try of course. After the first 3 episode I thought like this: "What the hell is this!? Must be one of the most boring concepts for a show I have ever seen. Annoying protagonist taking a deadly hunter-exam to meet his famous father? This is on the edge to embarrassment." As you can see I really didn't like the first glimpse of the show. I decided it was not worth my time. But the people who told me about this show kept pushing me back telling me it's going to get better, and I love them for it! After Episode 11-13 the show started to get a little more interesting as I got to know the characters who seemed flat at first. Now I see them in full 3D (no I'm not referring the graphic). Episode 1-14 took maybe 2 weeks to watch through. 15-30 a few days and 30 to 56 (where I am now) in maybe 2 days. What I am trying to say is:

"Wait until episode 15 or so until you judge it. Like any marathon anime you have to give it some time before it gets going. And if you like it even just a tiny bit by then, just wait till episode 40+!"

With that said I can now sleep with ease.

Now for the story. Its about a 10 year old kid who wants to be a hunter (Hunter is a title that proves you have taken a really hard exam to be able to find his famous mythical father. That is the gist of how it starts anyway. I cant say any more without spoiling the fun. You will have to watch it yourselves to find out what happens.

If I where to compare this show with anything it would be Naruto, just not as main stream and over rated.

I give this show a clean 8 of 10 stars because it has superb character development (Hisoka anyone?), Nailbiting story and great visuals. What keeps it form a full pot is the weak beginning, and though it is exiting and gripping it has never (yet) pulled me all the way to the same bliss that FMA or Trigun did.

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Real Great anime one if not best IMO, 2 October 2005
Author: rgvrules2004 from United States

It starts off with a young boy named Gon after meeting a Young man who Knew his father who was presumed dead and from this man Gon discovers that his dad is a Real famous 'Hunter' so like his father he wants to become a so called 'Hunter' and at the same time go in search for his father who seems to have disappeared from the publics eye. Gon first meets a man named leoreo ( or something like that ) and an episode later a young male named Kurapica. They all became friends rather quickly ( after a confrontation between leoreo and kurapica) and decide to help each other out until they get to the Hunter Exam location. During the Exam Gon finds another boy relatively the same age ( most are adults ) who is an assassin from a family of assassins, Killua soon discovers he really finds Gon a real nice gentle, yet different person then most hes met and quickly makes up his mind to do w/e he can to be able to be with him. After the Exam They are given a temp. license and later on given a real license...this is where the show takes a huge turn from semi-fighting fantasy to Completely fantasy fighting ( good thing ). Each person has an Aura from one of the 5 I believe types of auras there are, gon being Reinforcement ( brute force ) Kurapica being specialization ( one that can master all 7 ) and Killua a transformation. The fighting styles are similar to that of Yu-yu hakusho ( same author ), Naruto, FullMetal aclhemist, and other similar titles, BUT unlike the rest of those other titles HxH is different, for one it has more blood and gore then the others , which to me was surprising considering the show as mainly about a young boy ,but works really well. The animation works REAL nice with the anime which is a darkish type of color animation( i guess like Gundam wing or consider those anime movies that feel real with its darkish color animation)which gave it a realistic feeling. Although I prefer the series and the first ova I didn't like the ova's that came after since the animation changed from a darkish type ( went well with this type of anime ) to a Brighter animation ( Similar to that of naruto,Gundam seed don't work THAT good with this anime)..i give the series a 10 out of 10!!

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A true definition of greatness., 20 September 2006

Author: fladimir9 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Hunter x Hunter is widely being underestimated. There are many others Shounen anime in this industry and despite this competition of what's best, hunter x hunter holds the definition to be ranked first. This review doesn't theorize as a simply fan-boy expressions but discovering of what's really great. The genre of this anime are adventure/fantasy/and more. Each genre contemplate a mature realistic of the exact meaning. this anime's world lifelike to ours combine literally and similarity and looks overly decent. The adventure reflecting on this anime means that it doesn't stay on one background and the plot advances throughout the show. the animation isn't the best out here but not the worst either. I don't consider this Mangakan as one of the best artist but he's got great imagination. The sound is fairly decent and that counts only when the show first started and it's in the same category with the animation because honestly the show really started kind of awful. The voices of the characters are great and anyone would approve with me on this one. Bringing the whole plot in comparison to some anime as Naruto, the fights are less repetitive and focus more on the story. and if i add but bluntly that the actions are overseen symmetrically amazing and not overly exaggerated and theoretically just a borderline fairness. Anyone would easily attach to the characters because of the bond relatively each character have and the emotions along. The story starts with "gon" who wants to chase after his father but becoming a hunter first. As basic as this sounds, this anime is completely different than anything you would simply imagine. i would always recommend this anime to anyone because it surpasses any anime i've watched so far. basically this anime does deserve all tens

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
The best Anime that I have ever seen., 10 September 2006

Author: Vanessa C from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Hunter x Hunter Review pronounced Hunter Hunter (no X).

This Anime is so great on many levels. It has a little bit of everything but it never loses sight of what it's trying to say. Male themes are abound and many facets are explored especially the complex relationships between males. Friendship and the bittersweet relationship between a father and a son.

It also explores themes like revenge, achieving dreams, belief in oneself, competition, succeeding with integrity and many many more.

This is all done with absolutely no fillers. This Anime is 62 episodes long. 3 ova's (between 8-14 episodes each I believe) and it is still not finished.

Here is a breakdown of what I think are important factors in an Anime Series.

Animation

The animation for the first 62 episodes are well done. Of course some who compare it to the latest and greatest will be disappointed but I believe they are missing the point. The anime is done in a very fitting style according to the story with emphasis for realism. Sometimes the characters are light and sometimes they are quite serious and dark. This is not a cutesy Anime not all characters have big eyes and colourful hair. It knows when it should be what according to the story. I actually like the TV animation better than the G.I ep. It was more realistic to my eye.

Characters

This is where this Anime truly shines. The main characters are Gon, Killua, Kurapica and Leorio. They are all interesting and bring something important to the table. My personal favorites are Gon and Killua. They have a great friendship where each of them shine with their own qualities and help each other in all situations. (A very brief introduction to the characters)

Gon - He is a boy who is pure of heart, caring and sincere. But he is strong and determined to achieve what he wants. It is important to note that he never once does something underhanded even when faced with a person who means to harm him. A boy who knows who he is and what he stands for.

Killua - He is a boy with a very dark side. The most interesting character in this series IMO along with HISOKA.

Kurapica - A man with a very important mission worth dying for.

Leorio - A man who has inner demons. He is hard on himself but caring of others.

Hisoka - Ahh...Hisoka. What can I say, he is the most wicked anime character I've ever seen. Even when he is madcrazy he is cool. He's one of those guys that you hate to love but you do anyway.

Secondary characters are also well thought out and have a purpose.

Story - First arc. People all over the world try to compete in a life and death test for a Hunter License (kind of like a elite license to kill for money). This is just one of about 6 arcs. The test is far from easy. Aside from brute strength it tests mentality, psychology, etc. The story has more twists than you can imagine. More importantly the twists are imaginative and interesting. There are many arcs and each character has intercepting story lines as well as individual ones. There is never a dull moment.

Music and Sound Effects are Great. I think the Opening and Ending themes are very well chosen. It always seems to fit the arc. The sound effects are first rate ie when they are on the airship hear the trapped air of an aircraft in the background. Realism for sound is highlighted. Also there are many different background themes so it never gets repetitive. Second OP is alternitive rock, reminds me of early Our lady peace stuff.

Voice Actors I watched this Anime entirely in Japanese with English Subtitles. Amazing voice actors, every single one of them. If I had to say I would choose Hisoka as the best and Gon and Killua as tie for second place.

Entertainment Factor Is it fun to watch though?? Yes it is. It's even better the second time around, I kid you not! This is one of those Animes where you become invested in the characters because you get to see them happy, sad, defeated, vulnerable, scared, having fun and more. This anime is quite long but trust me you will not be complaining. Most likely you will be like the other Hunter x Hunter fans waiting anxiously for the new episodes. It is also important to note that people actually die in this anime and even main characters kill people. It's quite violent at times and the fighting system used in this anime is very interesting. There is no 2 moves per character that they use over and over again...Thank God! Better than Naruto IMO. Also this anime is very funny at times even if you don't speak Japanese like me. Thanks Fansubbers, keep up the good work =)

Anything Negative to say? Just one tiny thing. It starts off a little slow in the first 5 or so episodes for character development. I guess that's why this anime isn't as well known as some others. *sigh* definitely a loss for those people who stop watching because there is not enough action for them in the beginning. All in all this Anime is a must see. You will not be sorry. It is still available on AnimeSuki. Enjoy

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Give it some time, 1 July 2009

Author: morkulv_athferion from Netherlands

When I started watching this I thought it was cliché. The animation looked okay, but it just takes so damn long to build up the story, especially in the beginning. I have to admit that while watching the first episodes of Hunter X Hunter I thought to myself "oh man this sucks", but after a couple of episodes, it finally starts to draw you into the story surprisingly.

My favorite character is Hisoka because of his attitude. He's a complete pervert (pay attention to the dialog for some really funny lines by him) but he just comes across like a guy who is just bored of outranking everyone in fights. Throughout the series Hunter X Hunter has a couple of episodes that are typical training-stuff that is quite common in a Shonen Jump anime. However, the story takes a turn when the hunt for this video game-console starts that allows players to enter a virtual reality world in real-time.

One thing I didn't like is the ending, because well... There isn't really any. The story starts out with this boy who wants to become a hunter just like his dad so that he can go look for him, but whatever happened to that in the later seasons? I don't know, but somehow this never gets explained (and I watched everything, including the OVA's).

Despite that though, its a quite refreshing but a little bit underrated Shonen Jump anime with some nice character and story development. Just make sure you get past the first episodes though.

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My favourite show., 6 March 2009

Author: david_wevill from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

When you first look at this show the first thing you probably think is:"oh look, another ridiculous and unrealistic manga." but no, this is something completely different. Even though it was a manga cartoon, it wasn't like your usual everyday martial arts, ninja manga, these were hunters with great character.

The plot involves a young boy named Gon Freaks who sets out to learn the basics of being a hunter so that he can find his father who he thought was dead but then a hunter named Kiyte appears and tells Gon about how he knew his dad and that he is not dead but a famous hunter. After Gon adventures to the hunter exam he comes across two characters named Leorio and Kurapica. Leorio is trying to become a hunter to earn money and become a doctor. Kurapica is trying to become a blacklist hunter, meaning he is becoming a hunter to seek vengeance, so he can kill every member of this scary group call the Genei Ryodan, AKA the spiders, because they had killed every member of Kurapica's family, except Kurapica of course. whilst in the exam Gon meets a young boy named Killua Zoaldyeck. Killua is becoming a hunter to become a better assassin.

Gon is an interesting character because he can communicate great with animals, which believe it or not helps out quite a lot, alongside being this stubborn little child, this doesn't annoy me in fact on the contrary I find it quite funny. There is also a villain called Hisoka who is quite possibly the coolest and scariest bad guy ever, who uses this magic ability called nen to make it possible to kill people with cards. Killua is definitely the best character until about episode 58, because he sometimes has these psychotic episodes which make him really evil and scary, also because he was raised from child birth to be an assassin by his whole family of them.

I would tell you more but I would probably end up telling you loads of spoilers and my fingers are killing me from all this typing. Well in conclusion I would definitely say that this is a show for people enjoy television whether it is manga or not. I give it 10 stars **********

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The best animated Japanese cartoon!, 3 February 2007

Author: uae992 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

(Its the best even better than naruto!)

Someday i walked into my living room and my brother was saw it i told him to change the channel by he said no so i was gonna change it by force by i just stood there watching it has great story line great characters with history and they seem to match and they have much in common and you feel the world is simulated them to meet!I WATCHED it 3 times and its still good i even went to downloaded it to see it in English because it was dubbed in Arabic and it had seances missing BTW the story is always focusing in martial arts,spirituality(auras) and to follow your dreams.

(SPOILERS)The best part in this show is when they go to the building to take their hunter license.

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Great choice for anime fans, 7 September 2006

Author: edarien from United States

Firstly, it gets a 9 from Togashi being more than a little lazy and stopping the manga which put a LOT of holds on the anime, which is why the series was cancelled and OVAs were put out instead. The only problem there is that if you watch the whole series and the 3 OVAs, Genei Ryodan saga and Greed Island and Greed Island Final, it will leave you wanting more which you can't get without reading the manga(which currently isn't that high in US releases). Essentially it is a story of four friends (a la Yu Yu Hakusho which is another Togashi creation). The central character, Gon, grows to ~12 without knowing his father. Meeting a man, a Hunter, who claims to have known his father sets Gon off on his journey. He meets the 3 others in the exams to become a Hunter and they remain close, despite physical distance at times.

The story covers all 4 and their reasons for becoming "Hunters". Gon wants to find his father; Leorio, slightly older, wants to become a doctor and help people; Curapika(spelling/pronunciation varies for his name) wants revenge; Killua, Gon's closest friend of the 3, was bored. They all have reasons from their past. It also follows them after the Hunter exams are over, which is when the story really picks up, as does the action. The world suddenly gets a lot larger and more characters are introduced, both helpful and as hindrances to their goals.

It is well-written but with filler, as most anime interpretations on manga do. If you enjoyed Yu Yu Hakusho and other 'fight-based' animes then this is something you'll want to see. Also, despite the ages of the central and main character (Gon and Killua, respectively), it gets pretty dark and sometimes outright violent. If it's an appreciation for 'supernatural' powers such as ki and other odd things, then this is also for you as it becomes an increasingly important issue as the series moves forward. At first it remains fairly realistic and gets odder and more alien as it progresses with the four learning how to use their "Nen" which is their worlds version of Ki. There are 6 types of powers which all effect the type of things people can do with their power. Reinforcement is enhancing physical abilities such as strength, speed, and even reinforcing objects to make them stronger; Transformation is changing the properties of one's aura, such as making it sticky like gum, bouncy like rubber, or carry properties such as electricity; Emission is the ability to shoot aura and control it from a distance; Manipulation allows the user to manipulate objects/people in different ways, depending on the user; Materialization lets the person create objects with their aura, being closely tied to transformation; Specialization is the final one. It is just that, special. It is very different depending upon the person, as on people can steal other abilities, another can mimic the other 5 types, etc.

Hunter X Hunter moves in a gradual process which leads you to the shift from more toned-down fighting and story into the powerful and expansive world that it becomes without throwing you in with no reason. That's another Togashi move, if you've ever seen Yu Yu Hakusho.

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The Hunter exam awaits..., 22 May 2006

Author: mkarnung from Sweden

As a newcomer to anime, I just finished watching HxH last night, and I've nothing but good things to say about this beautiful series.

First we get acquainted with Gon Freaks, a 12 y.o boy, who sets off on a journey to pass the upcoming Hunter Exam, and get his "Hunter license"

Though I don't want to spoil too much of a good series, I can say that HxH takes on remarkable speed after episode 30. And as one put it, "great character development", totally agree.

I have yet to watch Naruto, but if you are a fan of the genre, as people have put it, HxH will not be a letdown.

It is with some tears in my eyes I leave Gon & co, and set my aim for similar series as this 1.

Don't miss this masterpiece!

9/10

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In order to find his father, Gon, 12, is advised to pass an examination to become a Hunter, 29 April 2005
Author: melkov from Moscow, Russia

This rather long story (62 episodes, continued with 30 (8+8+14) OVA episodes) is certainly one of the best animes I've seen up to the date.

If you liked "Rurouni Kenshin", "Full Metal Alchemist" or "Naruto", you'll like this one, too.

The action takes place in a fictitious world where sailing vessels, "Laputa"-style aircraft and modern vehicles are widely used at the same time. Some geographic locations, city names and even geographic map fragments are easily recognized as taken from the real world, monetary unit resembles Japanese Yen and the time is our present (2001). There is a magical system (Nen) of using persons's aura to create some physical effects.

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