i try to start this shyt
Get bored on ep 4 or 5
I read tattooed
Then watch the Gon vs Pitou fight on YouTube and go
I gotta get through a bunch of bullshyt to get to the good shyt
Just like Dragon Ball
And then...hiatus
After finishing the show, the best advice I can give to newbies is start the show at ep. 26 and go from there. Episode 26 gives a nice little summary of the Exam Arc if that's too slow for you and the arcs from this point gets to the good stuff.
Then when you finish everything and want to revisit the exam arc, watch the 1999 version instead. Much better and deeper version of that arc IMO, even though the animation is a little rough for some.