Hello everyone, before I start this review, I would like to sincerely apologize for my absence, as I have been occupied with other things and admittedly a bit of procrastination. From now on, I’ll try to make consistent content every week expanding on this blog site, as my sites title suggests.

So to start off the volume, Hisoka suddenly appears before Kurapika, Leorio, and a few others examinees to “test” them so to speak. He does this by killing the ones that he deems as unworthy, and only a few others are left remaining after Hisokas assault. Kurapika, Leorio, and another examiner come up with a plan to escape Hisokas wrath, but Leorio stubbornly refuses to retreat, and charges at Hisoka. Meanwhile, Gon hears the screams of his friends, and abandons Killua to go save them. He arrives just in time, hitting Hisoka in the face with his fishing rod right before Hisoka could attack Leorio.

This to me is the most important part of the volume, because it officially establishes Hisoka as an antagonist, as he attacks the protagonists with seemingly no logical rhyme or reason. As for the rest of the volume after Gon saves his friends, everything seems to take a more lax approach to the upcoming dangers in the hunter exam.

For example, the third phase of the exam is a cooking competition, that doesn’t have any of the life or death stakes the previous phase had, which is obviously intentional. I thought this phase was a nice. change of pace, and gave off a sense of peaceful entertainment that I believe was a needed to give a breather to the protagonists, and even the reader in some cases from all the action and death taking place.

The art in this volume also took a significant leap in quality compared to the previous volume. As were in the last volume the art quality felt a bit sketchy, the art in this volume feels much more polished and refined.

After the second phase, there is quite a bit more that happens (specifically for the main characters) but I don’t have enough room to fit that into this review, therefore I will finish up volume 2 next week, and also begin volume 3 next week as well.

So to sum up the volume, I would say the art is most definitely much more consistent, the tonel changes feel much less drastic, and the characters mental psychology is touched on quite a bit more, which hints at the series being much more mature then one would expect

So to conclude, I would rate this volume a solid 8/10

Please leave your thoughts on this volume down below!

Hello everyone. Welcome to my manga analysis series, where I go over everything manga! Sorry about my short two day hiatus, but I’ve been a bit busy. Anyways, let’s get into the review.

So first off I’d like to say the the art in the first chapter looks a bit sketchy for some reason, and I’m not sure why.

The art isn’t exactly consistent in this chapter, but it does keep the same basic art style overall. For the story however, that’s a completely different story. I enjoy how Gons background and character type are introduced, and how this vast world is implied here. He’s also shown to be starkly different form other Shōnen protagonist, as he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards his father for abandoning him. however, I do feel a bit bad for Mito, as she didn’t want Gon to leave, but he didn’t try to comfort her.

In the next few chapters, Kurapika and Leorio are introduced into the series as the two other main protagonists. The way their dynamic is set up in the second chapter in my opinion is great, and it really helps give them an established foundation. Later on after the three pass quite a few tests, Hisoka and Killua are introduced (less so Hisoka). Their full characteristics aren’t fully established in this volume, but the way they are crafted into the story leaves a sense of intrigue in the reader to learn more about them. The volume ends with Hisoka attacking Kurapika and Leorio (plus a few other examinees).

Overall, I’d say it’s a pretty good volume, and gives the main three protagonists a nicely established base for future character arcs, as well as setting up the Hunter world to be a great mystical adventure! I would definitely recommend you to read it

Rating: 7.5/10

Let me know your thoughts down below!

Hello everyone. Sorry for not really posting this week, but I will be working on my new manga analysis series that will start next week. It’s going to be great!

3. Alluka Zoldyck

It might seem a bit strange for me to put Alluka on this list, but please, hear me out. I went over the idea of putting Alluka on this list for a long time, and during that time figured out reasons why I should put him/her on this list. My main reason for putting Alluka on here is because he/she seems to get nothing but praise from the community. I always see something that’s related to Alluka praised since he/she seems to have a certain charm to him/her. It’s also because of how he/she interacts with Killua, which I personally thought to be kind of cheesy, but that’s just my opinion. So I don’t have to much to say about Alluka in all honesty, mainly because there’s not a lot of other information to bring up regarding the reason on why I feel Alluka is just a little bit overrated. But I guess a minor reason for me thinking this way is because Alluka doesn’t have much of a personality, and people still seem to praise her. She’s definitely not a bad character, but just a little overhyped in my opinion.

2. Mereum

Ohh boy. I’ve been wanting to talk about this one for a while. Mereum, in my opinion, is extremely overhyped, and a bit overrated. I definitely see where people are coming from though when they say he’s the best (or one of the best) antagonist of all time, but I just don’t agree. Though he isn’t my personal favorite character in the series, (or even close) I definitely do like him, as I believe he has an astonishing amount of character development in the span of around 40 days. He goes from a complete monster, to a lot more logical, reasonable, and understanding being. But other then that, there’s not to much I particularly like or agree with that others over exaggerate. For example, similar to what I said before, I hear this phrase on plenty of occasions: “Mereum goes from a completely evil, heartless creature, to a actual good person.” This phrase always gets under my skin. (Please excuse my little rant I’m about to start) Seriously? A good person? Mereum literally ate people, caused mass destruction and chaos in almost every area he was in, killed his own brethren, murdered innocent people, then also tried to lure more helpless, innocent people into a trap so he could forcefully turn them into Chimera ants. I understand that he sort of changed his ways, since before he said he wanted to destroy all humans, then later on he says he wants to keep a special few around, but that still doesn’t justify his acts of murder and destruction! It really annoys me when I hear really nonsensical things such as the phrases previously stated, but again, I do agree with the fact that he has a great amount of character development in a reasonable amount of time.

1. Killua Zoldyck

Yep. I’m sure no one is surprised. Killua Zoldyck flash-steps to number one with his cool charisma and character development. Now I’m sure obviously no one has ever talked about Killua being over hyped, but in case it has been, I’ll just make things brief. I go into what I think of how overhyped I think he is in my top 5 hunter x hunter character post, so you can go check that out if you want, but if you don’t want to, I’ll just say the same thing but in a bit more of a summary version. Now, my personal thoughts on Killua aside, he is definitely a bit overrated. He does have a good amount of character development, and his character arc is written very well, but he does have a few points where it’s supposed to peak that just end up cheesy to me. For example, when he decided his goal was to protect Alluka, I thought that was a bit anticlimactic, as I was not personally satisfied with this, since he didn’t make a goal specifically for himself like Gon or Kurapika and Leorio for example, and instead decided to dedicate his life to protect someone else for the rest of his life. But that aside, the main reason I brought up his character arc is because I feel like most people overrate that, and use it as a reason to “objectively” state that Killua is the best character in the series. He also seems to have a lot of charisma, (as I also stated before) since there are a lot of people I see praising every little thing Killua does. To be honest, it does get a bit annoying, as I feel there are characters with much better character arcs in the series, but Killuas arc is pretty good. It’s not exactly my favorite, and he’s not exactly my favorite character, but overall, I think he is really great. Just not on the second coming of Christ levels I see plenty of other people hyping him up to be.

5. Chrollo Lucilfer

Now my first few reasons for having Chrollo on this list aren’t necessarily unpopular. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. One reason why I really like Chrollo might seem a bit generic, but I really enjoy how mysterious he is in the series, even to this day in the manga there is still so much to his character that hasn’t been explored yet, and I really adore that.

I also just generally appreciate his design and how much care was put into it. His fight with Hisoka is also another plus to his character, showing his strategic prowess in combat. Overall, Chrollo to me is an amazing character, and I can’t wait to see what else he does in the manga.

4. Hisoka Morow

Hisokas awesome. These reasons for my pleasure of just seeing Hisoka on screen are a bit less linear than my reasons for adoring Chrollo. First off, I really like how Hisoka was introduced in the series. He seemed almost like an antagonist, but not exactly following the antagonist troupe of having goals that directly clash against the protagonists goals.

Like Chrollo, he’s very mysterious, as his past (unlike Chrollos) is not explained at all, where at least the audience is given some clue as to where Chrollo grew up. Another contributor to Hisokas mysterious nature, is that his true end goals are never revealed fully to the audience. Sure, a few of his goals like wanting to fight Chrollo is revealed, but it’s unknown if he has any other overarching goals. The last thing I wanted to touch upon, is how calculating and manipulative Hisoka is, without the person he’s manipulating even know that they are being controlled by him. It really is a treat to see him use his sneaky tricks on others unfold on screen.

3. Killua Zoldyck

Yes yes I know. Among most of you, Killua is probably your number one character in the series, (based off the character polls) but for me, he’s my third favorite character. My main reason for not putting him at my number one spot is because of aspects of his personality. Now, keep in mind, this is all my personal opinion, and none of the things I’m saying hear I’m stating as fact, so just remember that.

I really don’t enjoy how he disregards others at the beginning of the series, and how he really only cares for his personal interests. And yes, I do know he has much character development over the course of the series, but I have a few problems with those development moments as well. For example, in the Chimera ant arc, his breakdown for Gon losing himself is understandable, but I felt like Killua should’ve been a bit more vocal on his opinions of Gons actions during that time, and not have taken things so personally when Gon wasn’t acting like his usual self.

The last gripe I have with Killua, is his purpose at the end of the anime. I really don’t like that he wants his purpose to be protecting Alluka for the rest of his life. I felt like it was a bit disheartening for me, as I really wanted Killua to have a goal for himself instead of having the goal of protecting someone else. Alright, enough of the negative stuff, let’s get into the positives. I really enjoy Killuas interactions with Gon over the course of the series, and how they go about solving their problems. I also like just how cool he is. (Even though pretty much everyone that likes him thinks the same way).

He has a really sarcastic attitude towards a lot of situations and interactions he has with other people, which is something I personally appreciate. He really is an amazing character in my opinion, and I hope he enters the series again back and better than ever

2. Gon Freecss

Gon is awesome. I love this kid. He’s always so enthusiastic about things, and is so passionate about getting past his situations that his optimism is almost infectious. Even though he is a bit simple, (as stated many times throughout the series) I still adore him, and his development over the course of the series.

Contrary to popular opinion, I do not think Gon became a psychopath during the Chimera ant arc. I don’t believe he broke his character, as previously established in the series, he is very childish. So I do not think his rage was something completely out of left field.

It stuck with his character, as most children often deal with a rage they find extremely difficult to control, especially in Gons case. He had to deal with his only father like figure being killed right in front of him. Then, he had to wait for at least a month and hold in his anger until he could confront his role models killer.

However, one thing I don’t like about Gon before this point, is his lack of reaction to certain things and situations. But this issue is fixed later on, so I don’t really have a problem with it anymore. I really hope Gon comes back in the manga soon, because I really miss him

Honorable mentions

Before I get to my number 1, I want to briefly talk about some other characters I enjoy

Leorio paradinight:

Leorios so cool! I love how angry he gets about things, and how passionate he is about his friends. I would definitely love for him to get more screen time, and I really hope he does

Biscuit Krueger:

Bisky is great. I think she was a very interesting teacher for Gon and Killua, and I relish her interactions with Killua especially. There’s something really charming about her, maybe it’s the fact of how she takes compliments or insults, or maybe it’s the fact that she hides her true form because of the way she thinks it looks. All I know is, is that she’s a great, wise, and intelligent person

1. Kurapika

Yep. My profile picture is my favorite Hunter x Hunter character. As a matter of fact, he is my favorite anime/manga character of all time. Kurapika is, to me, amazing. From the beginning of the series, Kurapika was already one of my favorites, but his performance in Yorknew really boosted him into a whole other tier.

I love how intelligent and calculating he is, and how he is always pushed to solve extreme situations, but somehow gets past them in plausible ways. The way he also cares for his friends is great as well.

He cares for them so much, that he gave away the chance of killing one of the phantom troupe members (possibly most of them) to rescue Gon and Killua. Kurapika also has my favorite abilities in the series, which is another plus as well. All in all, I love Kurapika, and the way he is being treated in the manga is absolutely fantastic as well.

Please leave your favorites in the comments below!