I'm not here to bash Naruto, honestly. But since it is so popular and there's a huge gap between those who love it and those who think it is utter trash, I thought I'd write a short summary of the criticism I have, concerning the positive and negative aspects of the anime.
Obviously, the series is aimed at teens, with a very young main character called Naruto who's lost both his parents and seems to struggle quite a lot in his village due to having the nine tailed fox sealed within him, a beast that nearly destroyed all of Konoha (Naruto's village) when he was still a toddler. Naturally, but unfairly so, he is cast out by many of the townsfolk. By the time we meet Naruto, he's finishing the ninja academy and has to complete the final tests (and has difficulties mastering the task) to advance to the training level in separate teams as Ge-nin (beginner ninja in training). He is a loud, obnoxious kid and he isn't the brightest bulb on the porch either. But we can forgive his demeanor by remembering that he grew up without parents and that his teacher, who buys him ramen from time to time, is the only proxy-family member he has. We learn quite early on that he is dead set on eventually becoming the leader of Konoha (Hokage) and this delusional goal keeps him motivated and he studies even harder to maybe one day achieve this dream of his. I guess one could say that Naruto's most redeeming qualities are probably that he's a very loyal friend, honest (blunt) and a hard worker.
Especially after being assigned Kakashi's (a very capable Jo-nin elite ninja) team to complete low level ninja missions and improve their abilities, we get to see him interact with his two teammates (popular and ever-brooding Sasuke and insecure and Sasuke-focused Sakura) trying his very best to eventually get accepted by them. Each episode introduces us a little more to the ways of the ninja and brings the main characters closer together.
However, there are some serious flaws with the main character Naruto, starting with his highly inconsistent powers. Even the very first episode is a roller coaster showing that Naruto is a.) terribly clumsy and impulsive and b.) very (ridiculously) powerful. He seems to be at an imbalance and highly inconsistent in his abilities. This pattern of being the underdog and incapable of achieving anything remotely useful vs. Naruto the savior and immensely powerful ninja student re-occurs throughout the series. It can be explained away to some extent by the fact that a monster is slumbering within him that he cannot control (at first) but that possesses a hilarious amount of chakra (energy). Still, this back and forth between loser and hero is increasingly aggravating. Needless to say, that this is yet another anime basing every fight on the popular motto 'good guy fights bad guy, good guy gets beaten up, nearly loses, then collects himself and beats bad guy' - with very few exceptions.
There are a lot of filler episodes and even during the most action loaded scenes, the action is just drawn out, sometimes unbearably so. The characters explain everything, and I mean everything. The viewer does not get to just watch the show, the subtext is literally hammered into you by the characters explaining each of their very moves and thought processes, sometimes while talking to the opponent (as in 'you know what, I see that you managed to dodge my attack but now I am recalculating and using another Jutsu to beat you by stepping up and facing you once more'). There is way, way too much unnecessary information stretching otherwise good action scenes into lengthy inner (or worse, outer) monologues.
The animation is rather cheap, which diminishes the overall quality and impacts the scenes in a negative way with repetitive elements. But it does not fall short in the entertainment section including some truly funny moments (that are mostly - surprisingly - not overdone) and even though I do not like to admit it, the main character grows on you. I'd say that the anime gets better with each season, introducing new fellow students and real villains (Orochimaru is totally creepy - makes me glad to not have watched this when I was a kid) and the tone shifts towards a more serious one.
There is also character development of the protagonists (and antagonists): Naruto, albeit annoying, grows up a little and becomes more focused and more consistent, Sasuke gets a lot of screen time, including him drifting towards a darker path and while Sasuke-kun's Nr. 1 fangirl Sakura is mere decoration in the first season, she evolves quite a bit and eventually becomes a strong and useful teammate.
All in all it is a totally watchable anime. It's not amazing, in my opinion definitely not above a 6/10, and it requires patience from the viewer, but it has character and ... it has Kakashi, the team's teacher, who's a multifaceted and interesting character and probably the most likable one, too. So, I'd say give it a try if you're willing to overlook the (various) flaws, who knows, you might end up liking it.
Note: I understand why many people claim this to be the best anime there is, because it has been around for quite some time and throughout the childhood of countless viewers. It therefore achieved a special place in the hearts of those viewers and I am not one to say it is undeserved. But if we are to judge it in comparison with other anime, I simply cannot give it a higher score than the one I stated above.
(PS: if you somehow make it through all of Naruto and start with Naruto: Shippuden, the animation improves quite a bit)
Comments