I don’t rank anime or manga 10/10 unless I believe they’re a masterpiece! 😛 So if you’ll notice on my rankings list, I don’t rank many higher than 8, but I also don’t really rank lower than 6.5-7 because if it’s that bad I probably don’t care enough to rank it. But there are only two manga/anime I’ve ranked a 10/10, and those are Hunter x Hunter and Monster by Urasawa.

For HxH, it could in theory still change because the story isn’t over yet and like I’ve said, endings matter a loooot to me (and it isn’t somehow inferior to have the destination matter; if you prefer the journey that’s cool but it’s not a superior way of engaging with stories. It’s just a preference). That being said, HxH is not set up as a bombastic ending manga: it’s set up wherein each arc is kind of its own story with its own side characters, etc. And no matter where it goes from here I truly believe HxH has earned it being called a masterpiece. The deconstruction, worldbuilding, characterizations, and themes are simply top-notch, and it’s gloriously written in terms of framing, etc. No story is perfect, but HxH is a classic for a reason.

Monster is also a story that isn’t perfect but is perfect for me. Its themes really hit home for me, and it reminded me a lot of a Russian literature novel, like Crime and Punishment. It explores really in depth themes with psychological resonance, and there’s a reason Pulitzer Prize winning writers have praised it. It’s just truly good, and powerful.