Hunter X Hunter is one of the best shonen series of all time and is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to take the plunge into the world of anime. The story of Gon Freecs and his adventures as a hunter, written by Yoshihiro Togashi, is one of the best-selling manga of all time and has spawned a dedicated fan base worldwide.
If there's one thing Hunter X Hunter has against it, it's the time it took for the story to reach its conclusion. A new updated version of the Hunter X Hunter anime was released in 2011.
Let's see why the 2011 remake is the best version!
- A quality dubbing
En termes d’interprétation vocale, il est presque injuste de comparer Hunter X Hunter ’99 au remake de 2011. Une décennie d’améliorations technologiques a permis aux studios d’enregistrer des voix-off de haute qualité comme jamais auparavant.
De plus, l’évolution de l’anime et du doublage de l’anime en Amérique a connu une croissance rapide entre la création des deux séries. Fini les enregistrements ringards et minables du passé. Désormais, les fans peuvent regarder des anime en anglais sans perdre l’atmosphère et le ton qu’un mauvais doublage aurait auparavant contribué à créer.
- The Arc Examen Hunter has a much higher rhythm
The Hunter Examination is the first arc of the series, and as such, it is vital in introducing the central themes and key characters for the rest of the series. The 2011 version of Hunter X Hunter does an excellent job of propelling viewers into the Hunter world quickly, but not so suddenly that they become disoriented.
In contrast, the 1999 version takes its time making the introduction. This is by no means a negative, but the way the first few episodes of the remake are paced makes the beginning of the series much more digestible, especially if the viewer is new to the world of shonen anime.
- A much broader story
While the original Hunter X Hunter makes great use of the material available at the time, Hunter X Hunter 2011 has a supreme advantage over it in terms of content. Many more of the manga's arcs were finished and could therefore be adapted into new animated arcs, which is exactly what happened in 2011.
Fans were finally treated to a quality rendition of the Greed Island arc, as well as the Chimera Ant and Election arcs in their entirety. The Chimera Ant arc, in particular, contains some of the best action and biggest payoffs in the entire series. If viewers are looking for a more complete series, 2011 is the superior version.
- The characters have a better design
If the original version of Hunter X Hunter is better in the writing of its characters, it can be said that the 2011 version is even better in the design of its characters. When comparing the different designs of characters like Kite, Hisoka and Illumi, the elegant and creative designs of the 2011 characters stand out from the outdated representations of the 90s.
The choice of characters is also wider in the 2011 version. Memorable enemies such as Meruem and the incomparable President Netero have both been designed to look extraordinary and breathtaking in their final battle. The character design in Hunter X Hunter 2011 is far superior to the original version of Togashi's hunters.
- Ging Freecs is finally present in the remake!
Much of Hunter X Hunter is devoted to Gon's quest to find his father. So it's very frustrating for viewers to never get the result they're desperately looking for when watching the original series. Ging Freecs never really made an appearance in the 1999 series, since it ended before Gon had a chance to meet his father in the manga.
While fans surely wanted more, the brief conclusion given at the end of the 2011 series is better than leaving things entirely unresolved. It was extremely satisfying to see Gon sitting side-by-side with his father at the end of the new series, and it is arguably the most iconic moment in the series. The sense of finality as well as the exploration of Ging's character are the strongest arguments for the superiority of the 2011 version of Hunter X Hunter.