"A young boy begins his search for his father." by Kenny (USA) on Mar 15, 2005

Hunter X Hunter is an amazing manga series. The story starts out with Gon, who wants to become a "hunter" in order to find his father, who left him when he was young. Gon, in his quest to become a hunter, faces many difficulties in which he overcomes with the help of his friends aspiring-doctor Neorio, revenge-seeking Culapika, and assassin Killua.

"Try this, you'll like it." by V. Krätke (Netherlands) on Feb 3, 2005

Ahh, sweet, sweet Hunter X Hunter. It's such a joy to read a comic that provides lungfuls of fresh air in the otherwise cliché-swamped field of shonen manga. Hunter X Hunter starts off looking like a fairly straightforward adventure story about a boy seeking his father, but it's evident even in these early chapters that there is much more to this manga than first meets the eye. A few volumes into the story, it becomes evident that Yoshihiro Togashi is basically just letting his imagination run wild with Hunter X Hunter. He's constantly inventing gaggles of charismatic characters with bizarre powers and exciting new situations for them to get into. And he makes sure that every new element gets treated in detail, which greatly helps to involve the reader. There's the sense of a big kid inventing crazy new games by the dozen and getting incredibly excited over every one of them in Hunter X Hunter - and dammit, it's infectious! Once you get hooked on Togashi's riotous imagination-binge, there's just no tearing yourself away from it. Even the art is a wonderfully refreshing. Though fairly simple, it's great to see a manga where character actually have distinctive facial features. I don't just mean some variations in eye shape, or the dreaded Differentiation By Hairstyle that so commonly plagues Japanese art. Everything from roman noses to facial hair is used to make the rich cast seem that much more alive (in fact, this is one of the few manga I know where black characters commonly appear). The art is often cartoony and sketchy, but Togashi makes his characters look disticntive and expressive with just simple art.

So far, Hunter X Hunter has made for eighteen translated volumes full of tremendously inventive, violent fun and shows no sign of slowing down. Make no mistake - there may be a happy smiling kid with a cute frog on the cover, but Hunter X Hunter's world is only superficially cute. It soon becomes evident that this world is a dangerous place, full of interestingly horrible ways to get killed. Togashi is at his best when inventing deeply twisted psychopaths, and Hunter X Hunter is simply teeming with them. Togashi is never less than innovative and this also applies to his depictions of violence. It makes for a fascinating read, full of chilling macabre surprises. Hunter X Hunter is not just a bloodbath with style, but the occasional bursts of cruel violence do lend the manga a powerful extra pinch of spice. Definitely not suitable reading for children, though.

I recommend anyone to pick up a few volumes of Hunter X Hunter, just to give it a try. It won't set you back a whole lot, and chances are you'll discover a whole treasure trove of twisted delights once the manga's charm hooks you. Yu Yu Hakusho fans will enjoy spotting little Togashi-isms (the quiet but powerful androgyne, crowds of funky-looking secondary characters and other things harken back to the very best of YYH). Hunter X Hunter, however, is a more balanced and innovative manga. It's an all-time high for the author and a real treat for anyone who is growing tired of dozens of formulaic martial arts shonen manga. Kana have done a good job with their French edition. It provides a good translation at a very affordable price, and the French covers stick pleasingly close to the Japanese ones. One tiny niggle; Kurapica is referred to as female in the first few volumes, which is clearly a mistake. Thankfully that little problem gets fixed rapidly. Anyone craving something fresh and different won't regret hopping on board for the wild, imaginative roll coaster ride that is Hunter X Hunter.