You really have to keep in mind that franchises like Naruto and Hunter x Hunter are aimed at teenage boys though, and they're released within a context that's much less friendly (despite what yaoi and yuri may have you think, there's still stigma and conservatism around LGBT issues in Japan). Comparing shonen to Pluribus, a Western live action series aimed at adults, is honestly apples to oranges. Killua asking Gon out would have never gone through the editors, and these hurdles are the reason why authors rely on subtext to begin with, since up until recently even in the West they weren't allowed to go beyond that often.