Hunter X Hunter

This anime has been on Toonami for a few weeks, so it's time to review it. So far I like it, pretty by the numbers anie, but then again, considering how 7th Moon is kind of that, I can't hate on it. The show is all about Hunters, people in a fictional world with monsters and magical type folks that must be handled by specialists called Hunters. To be a Hunter one must first take a licensing exam which is so elaborate, it took about three episodes just to get to the exam starting point and now they are still in the exam process. This is actually pretty standard for anime, I have seen a lot where they like to testthe heroes, but this is the first time the story juststarts out with the test and drags out how this test needs to be passed for anybody to actually do the actual work.

At the heart of this story is Gon, a young kid with exceptional abilities far beyond reason, because it's sort of a rule that if you want to follow in the footsteps of the Big Four(DBZ, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece), you have to star an overpowered, overly optimistic, overly friendly kid. Next on the archtype list is Kuripika, the last of a dead clan that is seeking vengance, no word yet on exactly why he survived when all the rest died, but apparently they all have eyes of a distinctive red hue that can be harvested and sold for big bucks which was the motive for the Phantom Troupe, his sworn enemy. The good news is, he will get his vengance as soon as he passes the exam. Then there's Leorio, a prospective doctor with positive ambitions but in dire need of money to pay for med school, so he decided to become a Hunter because he has been told that this job pays better than any other. Then there's Kilua. a kid the same age as Gon who is also overpowered for his age and size. Together they try to pass the exam despite horrible odds since usually only about one every three years actually passes on the first try. But these boys will beat the odds.

I peeked ahead on Wikipedia, after they complete the exam, Kuripika goes after the Phantom Troupe with some help from Gon and they succeed in getting vengance. The end of that story dovetails into a story arc about chimera ants which sounds like a cool monster hunting plot. Then Gon finds out his father isn't just a Hunter, he's one of the elite twelve leaders of the Hunter organization. I don't really know what happens after that, but over all it sounds like standard fare, the Hunters seperate into classes that use powers similar to RPGs and every anime that has been the slightest bit cool.. I'm not really complaining mind you, in fact I appreciate the throwback. While everybody else is trying to be edgy, Hunter X Hunter goes back to basics and does it well.  It may not be original or offer anythin gnew at all, in fact t some extent it seems to be an excse to be lazy brainless anime fun. But I like that, so I like this show, and I suppoort the idea that somebody can just put together something like this and it can be successful. If you like this sort of thing then tune into Toonami and enjoy Hunter X Hunter.