Reviews

Hunter × Hunter nº1: Partida by Yoshihiro Togashi

Only show reviews with written explanations

nerdpastornate's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

5.0

juniperwu's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

the best shounen i've ever read-the power systems, the characters, the variety, the villains!! i to this date haven't found something that beats it in that regard

misskiwi's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous

4.25

literarykatlib's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

i've watched like 20 episodes of the anime before so why not read this and then finish watching the anime???

Hisoka, my baby

danthebruv's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Hunter x Hunter
Volume 1:
The Day of Departure
(4th June 1998)

The first volumes of Hunter x Hunter is charming. Prior to reading, I am already a fan of the world, story and its characters so I am familiar with the goings on of the plot. It's strikingly similar to the anime, in that it is a lighthearted yet intriguing start that doesn't do all to much with its plot so far, but makes up for it with a quick and effective introduction of various loveable and interesting characters that will continue to develop.

The characters and the world are one of HxH's strong suits and it's no different here, light on what it brings to the table, sure, but it's a fun and well written setup for a much larger story yet to come. Other than the anime having the main advantage of colour, moving visuals and audio, I'd actually say the manga for this first volume is somewhat superior in that it introduces Gon's character in a much more organic way.

Whilst the anime glosses over the backstory with Kite (mostly due to the fact that they weren't sure they'd ever make it to the Chimera Ant Arc,) the manga has the whole opening segment be with Kite instead of it being a flashback later on.

It helps to establish Gon's reason for his quest more thoroughly and much earlier on, and also

sets up his relationship with Kite at the very beginning rather than it seeming like something in hindsight

, which will make the later arcs much more impactful I'm sure.

Anyway, great start, nothing huge or mindblowing as of yet, but the anime starts in a very similar fashion; it's slower with its approach but the build up of characters, abilities and the world of Hunters is done with so much care that the longer wait is worth it because these early building blocks will push together to form something incredible.