Those late chapters are a freaking struggle man. It sounds like the author has chronic back issues and it makes it hard for him to draw, hence the essays. I would really like it if he just gave up on the art and focused on writing the story. I am sure he could easily find an amazing artist to collaborate with, and the overall quality would go up.
Agree, current arc is so long and full of text... There is a lot of characters. Besides publication is slow and right now even on hiatus I believe. It makes it hard to follow.
I really like the current arc in the manga actually. It is a struggle though... So many characters to keep track of, I forget most of them. It could be so much better if someone else took over drawing it but the actual plot is good: Phantom troupe, Hisoka and Kurapika all being near each other is exciting and Tseriednich is shaping up to be a great villain.