Story Arc Review: Greed Island

GREED ISLAND: Very imaginative and strategic

Hunter X Hunter is known to create story arcs that involve critical thinking and strategy, as the characters of the series are bound to a certain set of rules. Greed Island, one of the later story arcs of the series, is no exception to this trend.

One of the many positive features of this story arc is how it begins. The story doesn’t commence out of nowhere, for it has been established in previous arcs. Thus, the transition from the previous arc to this has been very smooth. From the very beginning, the core rules of the island has been established, and, as the arc goes further, the viewers will get to discover some tips and tricks that are, quite amusingly, still bound to the rules of the game.

            This is what makes Greed Island a strategic game. The rules are simple enough to have room for cheap tricks that the participants could utilize to their advantage. As more and more players get to discover their own tricks and tactics, the game transforms into a battle of the wits.

            The story has many threads to hold on to -- it even incorporates characters and storylines from the previous arcs,  so Greed Island doesn’t appear to be out of place in the overall story of Hunter x Hunter. The constant asking and answering of mysteries, regarding either the overall story of the series or the story of the arc, will keep the viewers far from bored.

            What makes this arc even more entertaining is the fact that it doesn’t waste time on unnecessary details. It is so fast-paced and straight to the point that, sometimes, the viewers could even miss some of the rules of the game. This is just further proof that watching this story arc requires a long attention span. After all, it involves a psychological battle between the players.

            In terms of power and abilities, the protagonists of the series have improved greatly in this story arc. This is because of the training sequences they have undergone. These sequences, even though they don’t develop the story arc’s plot well, are still entertaining, for it helps the audience explore further the complexities of Nen -- and I must add that Nen is one of the most complicated powers in Shounen anime, so exploring it is always amusing.

Aside from that, one of the main characters, Gon Freecss, is becoming closer and closer to his goals because of this story arc. This just means that Greed Island is not just a random story arc to fill in the overall story. It is a legitimate part of the grand scheme of things. And, without giving any spoilers, let me just say that how the story arc ends will surely make the viewers dive immediately to the next story arc. This is the least I can assure.