Hunter x Hunter or Nah?

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Or Nah? is a feature where we watch and review the first episode of a new TV show. We’ll let you know if it’s worth checking out. As always, these reviews are the opinion of the reviewer, but we’ll try to adequately explain why you should or shouldn’t give the show a chance and provide shows for comparison.

Hunter x Hunter | S1E1: Departure x and x Friends | Sundays at 1:00 AM ET| Cartoon Network

What’s It About?

A young boy named Gon begins his journey to become the world’s greatest hunter.

What Happens?

In a world where giant monsters exists, hunters are an elite group. Anything can be the target, it only depends on what the hunter is looking for. On a tiny island, a young boy named Gon desperately wants to follow his father’s footsteps and take the hunters exam. His mother disapproves but makes a deal with him: if he can catch the Lord of the Lake, he can go. In a week, he has caught the biggest fish around and is on his way.

The boat he takes is full of applicants for the hunter exam. Of course, they look down on Gon, but he correctly predicts the big storm coming to the captain. Some of the crew, and most of the applicants become sea sick when the boat is thrown about. The only three unaffected are Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio who are summoned to the captain. He is in charge of weeding out the unworthy and wants to know why they want to be hunters. Gon wants to become a hunter so he can know why his father left him. Kurapika wants revenge on the Phantom Troupe, a band of criminals who slaughtered his clan. Leorio, on the other hand, just wants money.

Kurapika and Leorio’s arguing and cheap shots go too far, so they decide to take it outside. Before they can fight, a crew member is thrown overboard. Gon dives to catch the man overboard while Kurapika and Leorio each grab one of Gon’s legs. Through the purity of Gon’s heart, they realize that they worked together as a team , and neither of them are bad guys. They say their apologies and become friends just before the Captain gives the three of them a passing grade.

 

What’s Good?

Hunter x Hunter is in the mold of Dragonball Z, Naruto, Bleach, and the like. The show takes its time developing characters and situations to make you feel the impact. The animation style is retro but flawless. There is definitely a dark subplot with the father which could lead to a great story.

What’s Bad?

Hunter x Hunter is in the mold of Dragonball Z, Naruto, Bleach, and the like. How much filler will we have to wade through this time? It’s every fan’s worst nightmare. I’m also not looking forward to how many times the show will fall back on how pure of heart Gon is. We get it! Gon is another Goku, and that’s part of the problem with Hunter x Hunter. There isn’t anything here that hasn’t been done before. It’s Dragonball x Blue Dragon x One Piece.

The Verdict

I will check in on Hunter x Hunter from time to time, but it won’t have my undivided attention. Shows like this can be tedious, and I can’t stick around for that.