Hunter x Hunter

FYI, I'm a lawyer in my 40s, not some kid, and basically ran out of anything on TV that I could stand, as it was all so formulaic and tired and low-brain. Well, I noticed some anime seemed focused on adults (not the sex stuff, but violence and intelligent plots and stuff), so I tried own -- Sword Art Online. It really opened my eyes to these hidden treasures -- the stories blend fantasy elements with action and interesting characters. Really the main thing I noticed was being surprised by plot twists. Whereas an American TV series or movie you can pretty much guess where it's going to go, this took turns and twists that really impressed me with the intelligence of the show. I mean, Lost took a lot of twists, but they were sort of random/contrived, and my final analysis was the writers were just making it up as they went along to avoid answering any hard questions, very stupid and contrived. Sword Art avoided that.

Anyway, after finishing that anime, I tried several more, and while some were good and still better than traditional American shows, none had the intelligent plotting of Sword Art Online -- till I found Hunter X Hunter, which just totally kicked it up a notch in both fantasy elements, interesting characters, intelligent plot twists you won't see coming, and the like. With some bad guys being sort of serial murderer/pedophiles, it's not for kids, but well done...even those pervy bad guys sometimes redeem themselves, at least for a short time.

How the main characters got more powerful as the series progressed, to be able to best stronger and stronger foes (usually) was well thought out, too, and not overly simplistic. The only downside was that by the fifth (?) story arc involving mutant ant people, I felt it had gotten a bit formulaic and I was not buying into how the world was responding to this threat, and felt the series might have jumped the shark, so to speak. However, I stuck it out and halfway through the arc I really started to enjoy it and the plot kept taking interesting twists. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried at least once because there were such bittersweet moments created.

I don't think I ever enjoyed a movie or TV series more than Hunter X Hunter, and with over 150 episodes, that's a LOT of great TV.

If you haven't watched this anime, your life is INCOMPLETE. An epic out of this world adventure between three friends whose friendship never dies. I have never had more fun, never laughed more, and never felt more emotion than after watching Hunter x Hunter. Every anime series I have ever seen pales in comparison. Hunter x Hunter is better than Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, better than Death Note, better than Naruto, better than One Piece, better than Steins;Gate, better than Attack on Titan, better than Code Geass. My eyes have been opened after watching this series: Hunter x Hunter cannot be rivalled. If Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is a 10, Hunter x Hunter is a 15, no joke.

Hunter x Hunter (2011) has better script, better characters, better acting, better scenery, better pacing, and better story than every anime I have listed above. It's a journey; it's an epic adventure; it's a coming of age; it's out of this world. It's a shame a lot of people don't know about it just because it doesn't have an English dub; it's a shame it only has a few thousand votes on IMDb. If only everyone knew what they were missing.

I wish that I had seen the original series growing up; how different might my childhood have been; I grew up with Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and similar shows. My first time watching near the end of 2014, and Hunter x Hunter is now my favourite anime of all time, no question about it. The main characters of Hunter x Hunter (2011) will stick with me for the rest of my life. I have never laughed more than with Leorio. I have never cried more than with Killua and Gon who show the real value of friendship. The lessons I have learned from this show about friendship, love, and family have impacted me greatly.

Thank you Hunter x Hunter. After binge watching every episode within one week because I couldn't stop myself at the bliss, I have been reborn. Best Anime of all time, without a doubt. I have nothing more to say, except that you MUST watch this anime before you die. YOU MUST. YOU MUST. YOU MUST.

I would highly recommend that everyone watch this show. I don't want to say anything to spoil it, and I'm sure that countless others have already provided more in-depth reasons why you should watch it, but still, watch it.

I will warn you though, while the beginning of the show makes it seem like its going to be somewhat kid-friendly, trust me when I say that this is not the case.

I said what I said. Wish there were more episodes. Loved every second of it.

Hunter Exam arc (Episodes 1-26)

Heavens Arena arc (Episodes 27-38)

Phantom Troupe arc (Episodes 39-58)

Hunter X Hunter: Phantom Rouge (Movie 1)

Greed Island arc (Episodes 58-75)

Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission (Movie 2)

Chimera Ant arc (Episodes 76-136)

The Election arc (Episodes 136-148)

The movies are standalone and can be watched after the end of the ANIME.