Print Review: Hunter x Hunter volumes 1-8

Review Hunter x Hunter volumes 1-8Written by WarpshadowRating very good

This is the thinking man’s shonen adventure story. It is a very interesting read even is the artwork is lacking a bit.

Gon Freecs is a strong and straightforward boy who lives with his aunt in a remote location called Whale Island. One day he met a man who told Gon the truth about his father; that not only was he still alive but that Ging Freecs was a world famous troubleshoot known as a hunter. This news inspires Gon to not only find his father but to become a hunter himself. After convincing his aunt Gon sets out to take the hunter exam. The test to become a hunter is an incredibly complex and difficult one that claims the lives of many adults every year. What chance does a child have, even one as exceptional as Gon?

At first glance Hunter x Hunter looks like an incredibly generic shonen adventure manga but this is a widely loved series and with good reason. Perhaps most importantly this manga doesn’t rely on many of the writing clichés and often twists them in interesting ways. This is a manga where characters are rewarded for cleverness rather than deus ex machine powers. Also this is a story that is devoid of the chosen one syndrome meaning that the actions of Gon and his friends (as well as their success or failure) often matter only to them. Even so this manga has its faults with simplistic artwork being the most prominent. Overall I found this to be a really fun manga but one that requires an underling love of the genre even if you have become a bit jaded by it.