[Anime] Naruto Review

[Blackcat]

My review for the anime series Naruto

This does not include the series Naruto Shippuden.

I've already watched a lot of animes throughout the years. Of course there are animes that aren't so good and some are the typical type like the hack and slash method. I can name a few animes that when you watch it, you can already guess the ending or what'll happen on the next episode...

In time, I realized and accepted that not everyone is going to like something, or dislike it. No matter what anime it is, no matter how much its budget and how great it looked on screen... It all comes down to the plot, the story, its everything... It all boils down to personal preference.

So, the question is, how do you know if you'd like something you've never seen but heard so much about? When I first started Naruto, I wasn't impressed... In fact, I kindda hated it... For me, It was full of bull****... I read the first 3 pages of the manga and I didn't read the following pages and just kept on flipping the pages because of boredom.

I was just looking at the pictures because I wasn't interested and when I saw Naruto doing the Kage Bunshin, I wasn like; so what?! Is that all he can do? I was like; "So what if he can do Kage Bunshin"? Still, Goku is better, or Yaiba is better, or so on and so forth... I didn't see the potential of Naruto.. Didn't even bother to see the anime when it hits the TV screens... I didn't bother...

That was my mistake... I didn't like Naruto because I didn't give its story a chance to dig in... When I finally decided to give it a chance... I found out that there is more than meets the eye in this anime, I immediately watched naruto and still, I wasn't impressed... I was more than amazed that this anime has everything; drama, comedy, action, plot that can turn a lot of heads for thinking what's next and well, I gave it a chance, and I wasn't disappointed...

From the first episode, they presented a distinct setting with distinct characters. Sure, archetypes were being followed (the boy dreaming of becoming big, the old grandfatherly figure, the teacher, the rival). The first episode showed emotion and depth to its main character and what he will struggle with, along with the dynamics of his interaction with other characters and their quirks.

Cut about ten episodes later, the plot arc currently being followed felt to me like it was not going to matter much to the main story. Some episodes had drawn out battles, and I got that feeling that the anime would be the type where they would go from different area to different area, developing their skills and learning moral lessons and such, but there would be no grand plot, no B story, that tied the series together. I also worried it would fall into mediocrity. Without giving anything away, by the end of that arc (about 19 episodes in), my mind was changed.

Having seen all of the series up to the current episodes, I can say at least for myself that Naruto is a deeper anime than some give credit to, and can be quite addicting. A strong focus is on its characters as they develop throughout the series and there are moments of real emotion, tragedy, intensity and even just amusement. It's not perfect, as there are slow times in the series and the cartoon suffers from tricks to get as many episodes out of the original story as they can, and I won't say every one will end up liking it but I can say it had unexpectedly became my favorite anime.

So all of you who loved this anime, keep loving it...

All of you who hated this anime, give it a chance... well, you've got nothing to lose anyway, right?

Thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed

Edited October 21, 2012 by Emotional Outlet