I think I was 15-16 when I first experienced Hunter x Hunter through the 1999 anime, so that would be around 2005-2006.
Once I learned that the series was created by the same man who authored YYH, I felt like such a fool for overlooking it for so many years. That damn Volume 1 cover with a cutesy Gon riding a frog delayed my Hunter x Hunter fandom, and really taught me not to judge a book by its color lol.
After I caught up to 99' anime, I read manga scanlations till I reached the Chimera Ant arc. The last thing I recall reading in my teens was the chapter where Ikalgo took on Bloster with the APC. At the time I had no clue why the art had degraded, or what was up with the hiatuses at the time, so I just kinda fell off the series.
I got back into the series in my early 20s when the 2011 series—ironically—just started the Chimera Ant arc. I wasn't aware of the 2011 series whatsoever till that point, but once I was aware I binged through and caught up to the anime in mere days, and fell in love with the property once again. Getting back into the series as an adult cemented it as my favorite anime/manga series of all time.
Also, Hunter x Hunter 2011 and Attack on Titan got me back into anime, at a time where I just read manga mostly. They reignited my passion for the medium, and my interest has remained strong ever since.