Aug 17, 2016
Master of puppets I’m pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can’t see a thing
Just call my name, ‘cause I’ll hear you scream
Master
Master ...
(Metallica, Master of Puppets)
Well, after watching this anime, I was kind of confused, because it obviously deserved 10/10, but other shows that I scored as 10s were not as good, and down-grading all scores was not an option. That's why let's say that I gave it 10.9999.../10.
...
Okay, I'll try to keep this as much as I can abstract and spoiler-free. Story in HxH is very unpredictable and extraordinary. It's kind of like Game of Thrones, nobody is safe. It means that even if you have been training all your entire life and other people consider your being one of the strongest, there might be chance that somewhere, sometime, someone is born with talents that already surpass your abilities. Or you may be super-strong and break stones with your head, but somebody can outsmart you and, for example, blow you to pieces. That means that there's no such state as being 100% invulnerable one-punch man, you can only struggle for life in this world. And that looks damn fair, doesn't it?
And what's the story about? Well, I could say that it's about love and hate. And crime and punishment. Also loyalty and betrayal. Life and death. Religion and human spirit. Cruelty and forgiveness. Happiness and sorrow. Recklessness and forethought. Humanity and nature. Parents love. And all these things are not hidden behind some obscurity and understatements. It's literally being thrown at you face, you just have to listen. All the emotions are in their extreme forms, not at some half-assed extent. Remember that feeling from Attack on Titan that titans give: the fear of something unbeatable and inevitable. And this show gives it in much, much greater extent. If you haven't seen this show, all this paragraph may look non-sense to you, but after watching I believe you can find examples of all my words.
Art is great, it looks and feels new and polished, but with original characters designs that may look childish. Don't be fooled but that, that doesn't affect storytelling in any way.
Soundtrack in HxH is simply outstanding. OPs and EDs are catchy songs, while BGM is mostly classical orchestra of very high quality. Oh, and there's Mozart. If he's not good enough then I don't know.
Oh, and there's character development. Yes, really. I won't say anything more, because, you know, spoilers. Avoid spoilers about this show at any cost. Don't even read reviews, close this tab and don't return until you've seen it.
Overall, the show is easy to watch and good for marathon. Starting as happy adventure, it evolves into intellectual and tense drama. Even considering not-finished state of manga, anime finale left me satisfied and the show feels complete. Made with love and care, it's really one the best shows ever.
P.S. I wanted to have some good quote as an epigraph, but was afraid of giving a spoiler. And, after having some thought, I remembered this song that can make some associations for those who have seen the series, but doesn't say anything to others. That's it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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