Was the 2011 Adaptation of Hunter x Hunter Just Worse Than the Manga?

Summary:

• The 2011 Hunter x Hunter anime is occasionally criticized for not matching the manga’s darker tone and shortening the lengthy explanations.
• The 1999 adaptation, while shorter, answers some of the issues.
• In the end, the 2011 anime was still a good adaptation, but that doesn’t mean it could not have been better.

Hunter x Hunter is iconic as both a manga and an anime. Frequently recommended to both newcomers and more experienced fans alike, it cemented itself as one of the best works in the battle shounen genre. Looking back at it, however, some fans say that maybe the 2011 adaptation wasn’t as good as we remember it. Let’s look at the arguments here.

Issues with the 2011 anime

One of the main criticisms pointed towards the 2011 adaptation is its tone. The original Hunter x Hunter manga can get quite gruesome and gritty at times, which obviously had to be censored in the anime. In general, however, this complaint also refers to color design — which, to many, is way too “anime”, for lack of a better word, in the 2011 adaptation.

Another issue fans might have is the lack of detailed explanations in the anime. The manga is quite wordy, with Togashi always including long-winded explanations — which are obviously absent from the anime, as they would not translate well into the animation. To many fans, this is actually a good thing — but there’s a visible subsection of people who enjoyed these as well. Some fans also expressed dissatisfaction with how the anime is paced, preferring the manga in that regard.

Is the 1999 anime better?

Many modern viewers consider the 1999 adaptation inferior. While the 2011 anime covers more content, which makes the old adaptation rather obsolete, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own strengths. In particular, some fans consider it actually superior to the new adaptation — and while it is an unpopular opinion, it answers some of the complaints mentioned above. More specifically, the tones are grittier and more down to earth, and it often feels like there’s less censorship there. That can partly be attributed to the older animation style, which, to some, suits Hunter x Hunter better.

So was it a good adaptation or not?

Ultimately, the 2011 HxH anime is still loved by an overwhelming majority. It’s actually so loved by the fandom that its finale is considered a good stopping point for the series altogether (considering the constant hiatus state of the manga) — which isn’t something that happens often with long-running manga series. Is the 2011 adaptation good? Yes. Could it have been better? Also yes, but, of course, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good anime.

The question of whether the old or the new adaptation is better is, of course, a matter of personal preference. Comparing the adaptation to the manga itself is a hard task, as the limitations of the format should always be taken into account — something that makes the comparison rather pointless altogether.