REVIEW: Naruto for Beginners
Written by: Liliana Teapila
I would like to introduce an Anime series called Naruto. There are 2 series to this show. The first one, Naruto, was released on October 3rd, 2003. The second series Naruto Shippuden was released on October 28th, 2009 and was created by Masashi Kishimoto. The show was inspired by a manga series. Naruto is a very in-depth emotional anime but so funny at the same time, you wouldn't expect it to be so deep.
There are many different opinions on this show. Some people dislike it because it has too many filler episodes and it's such a long series. Some argue that there are repetitive plot devices like “bad guy turns good”, frustrating character development, and excessively long drawn arcs. There's even some people who do not like the main character Naruto, they say he's annoying and very forgiving which doesn't seem realistic. Also the fandom can be really weird at times…But there's a lot of people who love this show! The relatable themes, character driven narratives, emotional depth, unique antagonist and stunning visuals. One review that stuck out to me was “The depth and authenticity of the storytelling quickly pulls the viewer into a world where ideals and reality often clash.” That Michael Yearby wrote.
I personally love this show from the first, to the very last episode. Naruto is about a boy who is an orphan who lives in a Shinobi (ninja) world. Naruto grew up being hated by everyone because there was a spirit sealed away inside of him that destroyed the village and killed his parents; but Naruto, he didn’t know that. He grew up hated by the village, so he acted out which made people dislike him more. Naruto never understood why the village had so much hatred towards him so he decides his biggest dream is to become Hokage. Becoming Hokage means you're the best of the best, top ninja, and everyone will respect you. Even though people looked down upon him Naruto never gave up or treated anyone ill like how he was treated. Naruto always kept a smile on his face and stayed positive. What I love most about him is he always represents a person in someone's life, that makes that person change for the better. The emotional depth that this series has is insane. Each character you’re introduced to has a meaningful backstory. One of my favorite backstories is Itachi Uchiha. In the very beginning in the series you know him as a bad guy that whipped out his whole clan but kept his younger brother alive. Later in the series you find out that his clan was going to betray the village, so the head leaders sent Itachi to kill them, but he couldn't pull himself to kill his little brother. I love the animation style and fighting style. In the scenes where they fight they lower the music or have it off completely and all you hear is clash of the weapons or punches being thrown, and the best is when these two people have chemistry and they play flashbacks of them. It just gets you emotional.
The soundtrack also has such good songs there's one for every situation that gets your adrenaline pumping. I also really love the villains…except for one, but the villains have such a detailed backstory to them, it gets you thinking like are these really villains or were they just hurt or misunderstood in the past?
Everyone I've talked to about Naruto doesn't like the filler episodes, but I love them! It's still showing Naruto's life and the friendships he develops with other characters. The fillers are funny and worth watching. There's really nothing I don’t like about this show, I really love this show. I would definitely recommend this show to people who are new to anime, it's such an amazing gateway to anime. Especially if they're into the fighting style. If they’re into more of comedy, romance or anything else I don’t think I would recommend Naruto to them.