Hunter x Hunter (2011) REVIEW

Amongst the many things I've been doing with my "free" time was watching an anime called Hunter x Hunter. This anime is, as almost all animes are, adapted from the manga original. It depicts a boy, named Gon, and his travels to find his father, put very simply. The story is based in a fantasy world where Hunters are people who pursue treasures, money, rare items, amongst other things. In Gon's travels, he meets other Hunters and their stories intertwine into something bigger overall. If I were to genre-ify this anime, I'd say its Superpower/Adventure/Action. The first run of the anime aired in 1999. However, in 2011, Hunter x Hunter was rebooted to better follow the manga. Apparently, the 1999 version deviated from the manga quite a bit. Regardless, I decided to give the 2011 version a try since it sounded like my kind of manga.


CHARACTERS

Like all anime, Hunter x Hunter has characters that resemble other characters from other manga/anime. However, I thought that the character design was still good. I will admit, one of the reasons why it took me so long to start watching this anime was because I was not impressed with how the main characters looked (having only looked at the poster). Boy was I wrong. While the characters look simple (in the beginning), the whole backstory and character as a whole more than make up for the lack of "design." There is a bountiful amount of interesting characters in the anime, some pretty creative in my opinion. Character development and backstory was also well done. I personally don't like spending a lot of time on a character's backstory, but I thought Hunter x Hunter found the sweet spot between too little and too much. You slowly learn about each character's backstory and yet you never stop learning all the way to the end of the series.


STORY/PLOT

This is probably the most important reason why I enjoyed this anime. The description of the anime that I read from the anime site I watched all the videos didn't make it sound very interesting, but it was interesting enough for me to give the anime a shot. At first, I wasn't intrigued by the concept of Hunters. Like most people, I think of hunters as those who hunt deer and other animals for recreation. However, I was surprised to find that I was hooked from the very beginning, and that the Hunters in this anime are pretty different from what I initially imagined. There are a few episodes throughout where the pace felt kind of slow, but they were few and far between. The story is broken down into arcs every 20 episodes or so, with 7 arcs, totaling 146 episodes. This prevented the whole plot from seeming too drawn out, while giving something fresh to feast on. As with all animes I like, there is a constant sense of mystery, wondering what will happen next. You will follow the main characters and watch as they grow and develop. I've always been a sucker for any storyline that involves the main character, or even just characters, evolving and developing into a better version of themselves. Of course, you can't forget the  involvement of super powers and action.


MANGA ADAPTATION

Unfortunately, I can not comment on how closely the 2011 version of Hunter x Hunter follows the manga as I have not read the manga at all. I know this is an important factor for people who are fans of the manga. However, I would recommend fans of the manga to give it a shot since it was rebooted precisely to be a more accurate adaptation of the manga.






OVERALL IMPRESSION

This is, to this day, the only anime that is over 100 episodes I've ever finished. It pleasantly surprised me with how capturing the whole story was. The creativity was there. The action was there. As always, I'd recommend watching the anime in the original Japanese language with English subtitles. Too many times I've tried watching an anime that is dubbed in English, and too many times have I wanted tear my ears out from how horrible it sounds. In my opinion, this is a definite watch for a diehard Hunter x Hunter fan. Heck, this is a definite watch for anyone interested in anime.



Rating: 9/10

Back Again!

Unbelievable. I'm back on Blogger! This is probably the billionth time that I've attempted to make a comeback and blog consistently. Regardless of that sad fact, I am currently attempting to write again. A lot has happened since my last blog post (of course). One major change has been graduating college, FINALLY. I am now the proud holder of two degrees that I'm very happy to have accomplished. Since graduating, life has been interesting, yet uneventful in a way. I went on a long vacation to LA, Hawaii, South Korea and Taiwan during the summer to fulfill my need for one last lengthy vacation, before I slave away and have no time to vacation anymore. Other than that, my life has been mainly consisting of sleeping, eating, gym-ing, and studying for my licensing exams (of which I have already passed one thankfully). I've also watched a lot of anime, dramas, and read a lot of books. Since nothing else really happens in my life these days, I'll be talking about some of the books I've read and some of the anime/dramas/shows I've been watching. I'm happy to be back writing as I do actually enjoying typing away. I just hope I can actually keep it up now that school is officially over for me (barring any future return).

President's Day 2014

It's a holiday that I didn't realize was coming up until 3 days ago. Today was President's day - a holiday where we celebrate the men who led our beloved United States of America from its inception in 1776 until today. To most of us however, it is a day off from work or school. I wanted to take advantage of the rare clear sunny skies today and get some errands done. I ended up at this new coffee place that has only been open for 3 weeks. It was located in the heart of downtown Providence in a building that used to be a strip club. Now it's a new, modern, artsy hotel. While the menu is simple here, the concept behind this particular coffee shop is quite unique. The aim is to give customers a different coffee experience each time they walk in. Instead of using the same coffee roaster all the time, Bolt Coffee Company uses different coffee roasters from around the states. Coffee beans can range from Indonesia, to Ethiopia.
It was a little difficult to find this place at first, since it like's kind of hidden around the corner of a building, but the sign is big enough that you wouldn't miss it if you were specifically looking for it.

The interior was designed in a pretty modern way, with an outdoorsy edge to it. The owner and manager of the shop, Brian, is very friendly and looking to make conversation with customers. As with most places, getting to know the owner makes the place all that more attractive and comfortable. The coffee itself was delicious. However, if you're more of the type to like Starbuck's specialty coffees like lattes and caramel macchiatos, you might not enjoy the coffee here as much. There is no sugar added at all to these coffees so they will taste bitter to anyone who does not have an acquired taste for quality coffee. Brian brews the coffees right in front of you and does a beautiful job of making the finished result look, well, beautiful. Instead of your typical skim, 1%, whole, soy milk options, Bolt only has two options: whole or hemp. 

whole milk mocha

Now for me, I've never tried hemp milk before, but Brian told me it would be the next best option for someone who is lactose intolerant. I tried both whole milk and hemp milk mochas today and I have to say, hemp milk is less creamy and perhaps less tasteful than whole milk. Some people prefer hemp milk because it's healthier and that is certainly alright. Either way, the mochas were delicious. Brian does also offer brown sugar cubes for those of you with a sweet tooth. I have yet to try the pastries they offer there, but like their coffee, Bolt brings in a variety of pastries from a variety of places. If you're looking for quality coffee, this place is a must try. I definitely see myself coming back again.

hemp milk mocha (I added the smiley myself)

Happy Val-.... Single's Awareness Day!

First post of the New Year! Oh wait, it's already mid February. Well, it's still the first post of the New Year for me. A lot has happened since start of the new year. I've already gone through one more of my rotations and am on my second to last one. Valentine's day has come to pass. I hope everyone had a good time with their Valentine. As for me, my Valentine gave me a rose as you can see from this picture:

I wasn't prepared for the rose as you can tell. For all you singles like me out there, keep charging forward. All you need is yourself on Valentine's day anyways. Treat yourself well. We may all go through hard times emotionally every now and then, but we can make it through. Until next time, live laugh and love people.

I'm Back! (for now...)

Winter is here. Snow is falling. I'm back on my blog because I have some extra time on my hands. Though I must say, I really don't have that much extra time as I have some stuff I SHOULD get done during this "break." A lot has happened since my last post. A lot of good and a lot of bad. It's interesting that so many new emotions or events happen as I get older. It just comes to show that you never stop learning - you never stop experiencing new things no matter what age you are. I will once again (for the billionth time) attempt to post somewhat consistently during this break, maybe even recapping what has been going on with my life recently. Like I said, a lot has happened, but for now, it is about time for me to sleep. I leave you with a highly narcissistic updated picture of myself. Goodnight!

~ so highly narcissistic ~

Mental goals

If there was a way to stop myself from thinking about things that I shouldn't be thinking, I definitely would. It's not really something I "shouldn't" be thinking, but rather something that would be healthy for me not to think about. Knowing this, I'm living a pretty unhealthy life. A pretty unhealthy "mental" life? Either way, I shouldn't let these thoughts consume my life. Usually friends, work, TV, books get my mind off of these thoughts, but there are reminders everywhere. Funny thing is I think that there's no way to get over these thoughts until I just...get over them. Let things go. Easier said than done though. It's a chronic disease in my opinion, and it's eating away at my quality of life. I have to overcome this somehow, someway.

Vanishing Point

I guess I’m really sick and tired of this. It’s starting to get really tiring and it is taking toll on my person as whole. Sure I don’t always think about it. Sure it’s probably a part of normal human life. Sure I’m still young and there’s still a lot of time. Knowing all that doesn’t change the way I feel, the way my heart feels. Some people can look at what this part of my looks like on the outside, but it is just that – superficial. The part that really matters is what is actually going on. Maybe I’m only able to see the ones that have what I want. For all I know, I could have involuntary selective sight – although the pairing of those two words seem like an oxymoron.

People say that things in life happen for a reason; and so I ask, what is the reason for this? I know that this is only one aspect of my life, but to me it is just as important as the others. My life, is still my life. One can have one thing, but not have the other. Happiness comes in different shapes and forms to everyone, but most manifest in a way where people are satisfied with what they have. People who are not satisfied with what they have, tend not to be happy people. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very very happy with almost every part of my life. I’m very very grateful to have the life I have right now. I’m just not completely happy. I want that one thing that keeps escaping me time and time again. It’s only been three years since I last had it, but it’s left such a deep hole that I can’t seem to patch up. They say that no one can have everything they want in the world, does that mean I can’t have this? Will life continue to cheat me every time I seem to get close to a chance to patch the hole up? I guess only time can tell. The only problem is, time is passing too quickly, the opportunities vanishing along with it.

Long emo post – finished.