I recently finished reading through all the Hunter X Hunter
chapters that we have right now And I've been loving reading through it
I've been making several videos about it as I've been going through it
But now that I've finished, as of right now Now that I'm caught up..
I figured I would do a quick spoiler-free overall series
“Here's what I think of the series” video Like I said it is spoiler-free,
so if you haven't watched or read the series Or if you aren't caught up with the manga
then you're safe here Anyway overall spoiler-free
thoughts about this series, now that I've read the whole thing
I really have enjoyed myself reading Hunter X Hunter
Hunter X Hunter is a series that has a deceptively charming start
It features a young boy and he decides to leave his home
Leave where he was brought up and the only world that he knows, to
try to become a hunter Which is this really prestigious people
who are basically the best of the best In order to become a Hunter,
you have to go through the Hunter Exam Which is a series of tests that changes every year
Gon goes off to try to join the exam And to compete to be one of the very,
very, very few, that make it out of the exam as a Hunter
This is the first arc It has a charming protagonist,
a very interesting landscape A pretty standard sort of plot setup with
a big emphasis on friends And on
building relationships, looking out for each other And learning a lot as you go along
With some tones of darkness People die. It can be really brutal
There are definitely antagonistic characters that we meet that pose a real threat
And there's some moral ambiguity in there too Characters that we meet-
You know one character that we meet that's an assassin
that has no issue killing people Yet he's on our side
But generally the tone is light, the tone is easy The tone is "We're all here to have a good time"
And I joined this series as a break from the emotional highs and lows of One Piece
And boy was I deceived Because one really
cool thing about this series is that with each new arc you're basically changing genres
Togashi isn't here to deliver a standard story And he definitely isn't here to say
“Here's something fun to do for us, to do together And it's going to get a little bit deeper
A little bit darker, a little bit more edgy” No. It's gonna change a lot
With each new arc it feels like we enter into a totally new genre
We're tackling completely new topics, new struggles and hurdles,
that our characters have to overcome And new characters that will increasingly
pose deeper threats As well as new struggles that really expose
the deficits in our characters that we're following
And the failings in them And how deeply and
desperately they need each other And the other comrades that they'll meet
along the way in order to simply survive And it really challenges our characters
It challenges their morality, it challenges their principles
It challenges their belief in themselves and in each other
And it challenges how far they'll go Deep, deep characters with incredible loyalty
But also with really complex character With complex relationship
dynamics that aren't so straightforward They're loyal so it's an amazing relationship
Sometimes it's codependent Sometimes it's someone
taking advantage of their best friend Sometimes it's sacrifices that are too great
It's not the story of good versus bad It's not heroes and antagonists
It's the story of characters It's the story of characters
that are doing what typical protagonists do And that are actually being affected by this stuff
That aren't just the heroes that fight through it all
But that are being changed and molded by the stuff they're going through
It's characters that have this intense loyalty to each other
That would do anything for one another But that it's not always healthy
It's a world that's vast And it's complex,
and that's fascinating But that's dark and has
real challenges around every corner And that's just the complex story elements,
talking about it spoiler-free I could go a lot more in depth with it
But if you just want the typical Shonen stuff? Can I tell you that stuff is so cool too!!?
This is one of my favorite magic systems I've ever read
I have a video talking about my favorite magic systems where I-
Spoiler free, briefly explain the basics of Nen I'll link it in the cards and in the description
But this is such a vast huge complex magic system that was so much fun to learn
And to continue to learn throughout the series In the first arc, Nen is barely in existence
And I didn't even notice its existence at all Until I started to learn about it
And then was able to look back and say “Oh okay! It was there too”
And then you start to learn about it And you get the very basics and it's like
“Okay I can understand this” And then it gets bigger. And Bigger
And BIGGER Because it's so vast
that you could keep learning about it forever And it's so based on the individual that
that makes the battles- I cannot express to you
how awesome the battles are in this series Because Nen is so based on the individual..
The individual match-ups between These characters never gets stale
Every battle is completely different from the last Every battle has totally new dynamics
Because each character brings something completely different to the fight
And because characters are ever changing in this world
And because there's infinite possibilities with this magic
Even having a pair up of a matchup of two characters
at this point in the series
If they match up again later on? It'll look completely different
Because these people and what they're able to do is constantly changing
Whether you're with them or not There's stories of friendship and family
There’s stories of revenge There’s stories of the
brutality and the pain of war And what it really takes from you
And throughout each of these very different scenarios,
and very different settings and challenges that our characters go through
Our characters change a lot There are characters in recent arcs
that I don't even recognize from the beginning But I watched the arc happen
And one thing that I think Togashi does so well is his characters
This story really feels like the author just created characters
and then let them lead him Rather than saying "I have
an agenda and a plan for the series" Which I'm sure he did to an extent
It really feels like he created scenarios, and then whatever felt honest
for the characters to react That's how they reacted
Characters motivations Their challenges and
their responses to those challenges Are not always the typical story structure way
They're often times just these guttural, emotional, flawed reactions
And it's them figuring out how to respond to the world, as well as to each other
And that makes for a creation of a story that holds characters
That I feel like have a depth to them, that's hard to find in a lot of stories
I pretty much never know what direction they're going to go in
Because nothing really follows a typical story structure in this in this series
But every direction they go feels like "Yeah that feels honest for that character"
And there are times that that can make the plot kind of suffer in my opinion
As an obsessive consumer of stories, and of novels And recently manga as well
I love to study stories I love to see patterns and what's typical,
and what's pulling away from the norm And in this story there are
I'm a huge fan of foreshadowing I love seeking out lines that feel too intentional
to just be there for no reason And then trying to find the foreshadowing
And then when these major things happening I've seen the setup because I've looked for it
And that makes these things so much more satisfying
And I have done my fair share of foreshadowing hunting with Togashi
And sometimes that pays off And sometimes it doesn't
And that's the thing with this series is Togashi.. Sometimes he sets stuff up and then just drops it
And I'm not talking about subverts expectations I'm talking about
“That threat is gone! He's not coming back to that”
And for me as a reader, for my reading type, I struggle with that
And I can definitely see other people struggling with that
Where certain plot elements are set up, that just never get returned to
Or at least they haven't yet Or certain arcs that there's this big
really cool setup And then Togashi genuinely
just feels like he was like “You know what?
I'm not really interested in this anymore I'm gonna end it and go do something else now”
I'm talking to you Heavens Arena Stuff that he sets up and builds up that you think
“Oh my goodness, we're gonna do this” And then he's just like
“I feel bored. No we're not” And I could definitely see for certain readers
I'm kind of one of those readers I could definitely see that being
a real big deficit to the series, that would make them just not be able to enjoy it
Especially more plot focused readers, which I am a more character focused reader
But readers that are very plot focused? Togashi creates these intricate well thought out,
really, really brilliantly crafted plots And when he delivers on them?
Holy cow, they're incredible! But there are times where he won't deliver
And I could definitely see that being something that would turn someone off to the series
Now I did recently have a Hunter X Hunter live
stream discussion on my Patreon And one person that I was talking to actually said
that's one of the things that they love about Hunter X Hunter
Because it just makes it feel so much like real life
And not like a story Because things get set up,
and you have expectations for things to go a certain way
And then the characters change their minds And they don't go that way
And the story doesn't go the way you think It will in not a subverting expectations
kind of way Just in a real life
“It didn't happen” kind of way And that makes this story feel more real
than most stories do for that exact reason Now for me it feels like clunky storytelling
Yo him it felt like one of the biggest draws of the series
So all these things are subjective But you know I'm relaying my
experience with the story There are other flaws to
the story that I could cite as well Info dumps are a big factor in the story
Togashi has a lot of really awesome stuff that he wants to build up
And sometimes he'll just stop drawing and just write
And just tell you what you need to know to make it through this arc
That's a pretty jarring storytelling style And I would argue it's not ideal. It's not good
His storytelling style can sometimes lead to unsatisfying conclusions
He loves to end his arcs on anti-climaxes Which ends up having really, in my opinion,
interesting way to end things But if you want every arc to end in a big battle,
he doesn't typically do that Although his battles are excellent
And of course, one thing that's discussed a lot around the series is the art
I know there's a lot of discussion out there of people taking the worst panels
And pretending that the entire series is like this Or people on the opposite side saying
the bad panels are only near the end When Togashi's health was really bad
And they're few and far between And really neither of these things are true
Even early on in the series, there are some rough panels
And later on in the series, the rough panels do get more and more frequent
I personally think that Togashi's drawing style is-
I really jive with his drawing style He has this very simplistic tone
where the emphasis is really on the characters Which is what the series
has an emphasis on as well And at times, whenever it needs to happen,
he will draw out these beautiful scenes His art style works for me,
but it is rough at times And if that's something that'll
affect someone's enjoyment, it's a valid reason
I mean it makes sense It's a big part of the medium
So yeah the series has its cons, it has its negatives
It has things that great on me Or that I can understand degrading on other people
But what you get out of this series is some unbelievably deep emotions
Some plot threads that deliver on a level that could match any other series I've read
And one arc in particular, that is one of
the things that I've read that has stuck with me And made me think more than most things I've read
That was very articulate I'm not going to retake it
The series has some of the most fun fights I have read
Some of the most fascinating, complex, interesting and exciting fights I have read
Stuff as intense as a battle arena And stuff as simple as a dodgeball match
I'm telling you the dodgeball match in this series is one of my top three fights
And I don't even know if it's technically qualified as a fight
But it's also a living and breathing world and it Hunter x Hunter has this really incredible ability
to keep moving whether you're with the characters or not
This story has this ability to make the world feel living and breathing
Where it feels like whether I'm with a character or not
If I saw a side character a long time ago, and they come back around? They've changed
They've grown They've learned
new things. They have new abilities And meeting up with them again is like
how it would be like seeing a person later on in life
They're different now The world continues to change,
even when we're not participating in it The characters continue to evolve,
even when we're not with them And this world feels like there's
mysteries around every corner that
If I stay here forever, I will never stop learning it
Not to mention this series contains some of the best villains that I've read
Man! This series says so many things so well Characters that can be just you know..
really evil guys But also characters that have
really fascinating intentions and motivations Characters that aren't just led by
“I want to rule the world” But characters that have
these really twisted horrifying motivations And the reason behind why they do what they do
is not It's not-
It feels a little bit too real It feels a little bit too horrifying
Villains that genuinely give me chills Every time they're on the page I get
excited to see them because They're so fascinating
But I'm also horrified every time they're on the page
People that are motivated not by power exclusively Although that is a great motivator
But also just by these sick twisted intentions I'm trying really hard to be spoiler free,
and express to you how incredible these villains are
And they're each unique and different It's not just like
“Okay new arc, new antagonist Let's see if we can defeat this one”
It's- Man it's different
Have I talked about it enough? Have I said- This was a very.. This is very just off the cuff
“How do I feel about the series” I feel really good about it man
I have enjoyed reading through this story so much Because what it brings
is these incredible hype moments These awesome battles that are so well done
These incredible antagonists that are truly terrifying
These really amazing friendship moments that I love to root for
But beneath all of that is these incredibly complex characters and motivations
These very flawed individuals that are truly responding
to the world and situations around them And not just following a plot
Not just being the hero. Not just being the protagonist
But that really shift and change as the world molds them
These arcs where Togashi has something to say, and he says it so well
And he makes me think for so long after I finished And these incredibly ambitious story arcs as well,
that are so complex That bring so much to the table,
that really challenge you and make you think I don't know man
It has its flaws. It definitely has its flaws But what it brings to the table, it brings so well
I have enjoyed reading through this series so much And I'm really, really, really, really excited
for the chapters that are to come I hope you enjoyed this
spoiler-free, kind of chaotic, chat about how I felt about the series
If you're interested in more in-depth discussions arc by arc
I have a playlist that I'll link in the video, as well as in the description
Where you can go in depth and really, really chat about it
And I'll of course be reading the new chapters as soon as they come out as well
If you're interested in what I'm reading next My current-
I'm currently reading very slowly I'm reading Fruits Basket
But my current obsession is Vinland Saga Oh I've been enjoying that series
So if you want to follow along with my journey with that
I will be making videos on that as well So look out for those
But I also talk about it chapter by chapter on my Patreon
And other people are reading it too for the first time
So there's a lot of discussion in there A lot of us who are experiencing
the story for the first time We're also doing watch parties for the anime
Which has been a blast Where we're all watching the anime together,
and discussing that as well as the manga That's all super fun,
if you're interested in any of that Or if you're not interested in all of
that...invasiveness You can also check out my reading vlogs
on my second channel Which is also linked in the description
Where I give weekly updates on what I'm reading And that includes weekly updates
on Vinland Saga as I read through it I hope you enjoyed this video
And I would love to continue chatting with you about it
If you have read the series and dropped it, feel free to tell me why
Or if you've read the series, or watched the series, and loved it
Please tell me why you love this series Let me know what parts of it
that just really really get you Whether I've already mentioned it or not
I would love to continue the discussion in the comments
I love reading through comments on videos like this
I post videos every Monday, Wednesday and Friday here
Tuesdays and Thursdays on the second channel Which is linked in the description
I'll see you again soon Bye