Yoshihiro Togashi's decision to pen Hunter X Hunter a few years after infamously closing the book on Yu-Yu Hakusho meant one thing: you can take the mangaka out of battle shonen, but you can never take the battle shonen out of the mangaka. His follow-up sci-fi manga Level E was short-lived, and proof that Togashi had unfinished business in the world of dudes throwing hands. As they say, the rest is history. Twenty-seven years after Hunter X Hunter's debut in Shonen Jump magazine, we can witness the start of Togashi's legendary manga again with this sleek omnibus edition of the first three volumes.
For veteran readers, Togashi's world is just as imaginative as you remember it, if not a bit childish at times. This is not a criticism but praise--after all, this is the start of a martial arts fantasy adventure featuring children and teenagers, so a little bit of childish wonder is more than welcomed here. When the world is not trying to pick a fight with Gon and his crew, it can be rather whimsical with its giant monsters, gorgeous environments, and fascinating denizens.
Starting Hunter X Hunter with an exam arc proved to be a clutch move for Togashi, allowing him to traverse back into familiar territory easily. The exam is a survival of the fittest, and those who pass its daunting trials are rewarded with the much-coveted hunter certification at the end of it. Things get grisly, yet the arc retains a very breezy attitude. The participants have to run for their lives, dodge Hisoka's murderous mischief, and hope to Haruhi up above they don't get eaten by giant frogs. Yet the moment these tasks end, the participants are met with something more light fare: cooking up egg meals for an examiner whose harsh culinary critiques are on par with some of Gordon Ramsay's epic meltdowns. Another moment has its main characters Gon and Killua trying to retrieve a dodgeball from a surprisingly agile old man in a game that eschews bloody, action-packed fun for something that's just...fun. One of the best things about Hunter X Hunter's early stages is that even when things get explosive, there remains that element of joviality to balance out the mayhem.
That being said, one of my favorite moments is one of the darker ones: the desert tower trial where the participants are forced to race down in a limited time. With its dark hallways and creepy murderers lurking at every corner, it's hard not to feel a sense of peril and entombment here. Of course, the action sequences are very well detailed; Internet forums and memes are still abuzz about how Killua plucking the heart from a serial killer's chest is one of the most badass things ever, and rightfully so. Killua's calm demeanor accomplishing the task is juxtaposed with a panel featuring the killer's heart in all of its disgusting glory, veins, and blood visible from all sides before it is crushed by Killua's bare hands. “He was a murderer, but an amateur,” Killua remarks. “I used to be a pro.” The moral of the story: thou shall not trifle with Killua.
As the introductory arc, the Exam Arc is the most straightforward part of Hunter X Hunter. It's also the best at highlighting our main gang of four's personalities and dynamics as a team, especially considering this is the arc where they spend the most time together. Gon is the hapless young lad hungry for adventure, and the seeds of his friendship with Killua are sowed here. The rule of opposites attracting is definitely in place here--Killua is from a family of assassins who would probably find a way to kill Gon and his father if someone paid a pretty penny for it, but that never seems to faze Gon. Gon's friendship with Killua helps humanize him--underneath all those layers of bloody humor lies a young boy who wants to live a normal life. The chemistry is sparse but it's there, and enough of a set-up that pays off in spades in the succeeding Heavens Arena arc.
Leorio and Kurapika have good chemistry together as part of the squad of four, but if there is one flaw to be found here, it's that they seem less developed than Gon and Killua's relationship is. I guess that Togashi thought he would continue developing Leorio and Kurapika a short while later, but that was before serendipity and hiatuses took over and whisked the two off on their own separate adventures for the majority of the manga--Togashi would even acknowledge the two's absence in a panel in the Chimera Ant Arc. Some of the conversations Kurapika has with his squadmates hinge on the expository side of things, but I can't complain too much. Kurapika gets his fair share of badass moments, and enough of his backstory is developed to keep our interest. Plus his grudge against the Phantom Troupe becomes very real in an awesome fight against a Frankensteinian monster that predicts the Yorknew Arc.
The opening pages of Hunter X Hunter kick things off with a massive artistic bang with its detailed panels before delving into the minimalist style the series would become known for. The big fish that Gon reels in practically leaps off the page, while Kite enters the fray with such style it's a shame his introduction wasn't included at the start of the 2011 anime. Comparing this omnibus with my own physical copies of later volumes doesn't show a difference or decline in quality, although I noticed Gon's head looking taller early on, while Killua looks more feminine at times. The anime community will forever remember Togashi for his lengthy hiatuses, to the point where folks kiddingly refer to this series as Hiatus x Hiatus. But patience is a virtue and things take time. Togashi is a man who very much takes his time on things yet never skimps on quality.
Hunter X Hunter's arcs would evolve into something more complex over the years, but here in the Exam Arc, everything is as simple, action-packed, and fun as it gets. Hunter X Hunter is probably more well-known and popular now than it ever was, and I barely know a person, otaku or not, who hasn't experienced or heard about it in some way. This omnibus collection of its three nearly-flawless volumes is the perfect place to start for new fans, and an even better revisit for longtime fans.
