Mar 28, 2013 5:17 PM
Naruto and Shippuuden have gone so wrong
Anime Relations:
Naruto, Naruto: Shippuuden
I felt the need to rant a little as I watched yet another Naruto Shippuuden filler story.
I had my fears when reading the Manga during this part of the story, because the timing and sequence of events felt a little off in the Manga series itself. Having been a long time reader of the Manga, and having been a long time viewer of both anime series, I find that the story has really lowered in quality in every form as of late.
The manga has become a jumbled mess as far as delivery is concerned, and the anime is so bloated with filler that I no longer look forward to either of them each week (I still go out of my way to watch them though, probably from my obsessive compulsive personality in finishing what I started). The manga keeps backpedaling and doing flashbacks that should have been told months, if not years ago while the anime series keeps creating side stories in the form of flashbacks that really don't need to exist at all. There is a large enough gap between the anime and manga for them to skip filler altogether, so it is very frustrating. I know some fans love the flashbacks and side stories and think they "enhance" the story, but I feel the exact opposite. It's getting to the point that it actually ticks me off a little.
I started documenting all of Naruto's battles in the Manga. I plan to eventually have a spoiler blog entry that highlights his growth and development as a fighter, a leader and a hero. Well, I quickly increased my dislike for the anime filler when I realized just how amazing the development is in the Manga series. There is steady growth in all aspects of his character. The filler stunts his growth and maintains this idiotic persona that fades over time in the source material. He is always "simple-minded" but so was Goku and so is Luffy. It's his accomplishments and hard work that gain the respect of others, and it's this little special something that makes them want to follow him. Something that fluctuates and is barely existent in the anime series because of the stunted growth. Lately the fillers have been to please fans of the supporting characters, but when "supporting" characters get more screen time than the main character then... Houston, we have a problem.
I rated the anime "filler-free" but lately my score has dropped a point because of how much the filler actually disrupts the main story. Not all of it is bad, but if you have never read the Manga while being a fan of the anime then you have no idea how bad it is compared to what it's supposed to be.
It really is the same as watching a great book turned into a crappy movie. You watch it anyways and the complain all night after watching it. I'm getting to that point with this series. I used to love the adaptation, even with the filler. Lately I can't say that I love it. If ever a series needed a reboot, this is one of those series. Bleach was ruined by filler, and Naruto certainly has come close in my opinion.
Ranting aside, the core story is still there and it's an amazing core story. The source material is poorly written for a weekly serialized story, but the end result is a 10. Waiting week to week is a little painful as of late, and not because you're stuck on a great cliffhanger, but because you are fed the material with a bitter spoonful here and there. If 2 or 3 weeks are a flashback that means you have a month of time (and this is not an exaggeration) before the story moves forward even 1 step. Lately the flashbacks have changed details as opposed to shedding light on unanswered questions. They are minor tweaks, but they are just enough to negate facts that have existed in the story for months (if not years in some cases). Things are told so matter-of-factly and then brushed off in 2 frames of dialogue so a "twist" can be inserted at random. Like I said, the end result works, but the way it is written overall is poor for a weekly serialized story.
Now that I have that out of my system, I can move on with my life and wait to see if more filler will be jammed down my throat next week. I hope not, but now I get to watch my other Thursday programming so thanks for reading!
I had my fears when reading the Manga during this part of the story, because the timing and sequence of events felt a little off in the Manga series itself. Having been a long time reader of the Manga, and having been a long time viewer of both anime series, I find that the story has really lowered in quality in every form as of late.
The manga has become a jumbled mess as far as delivery is concerned, and the anime is so bloated with filler that I no longer look forward to either of them each week (I still go out of my way to watch them though, probably from my obsessive compulsive personality in finishing what I started). The manga keeps backpedaling and doing flashbacks that should have been told months, if not years ago while the anime series keeps creating side stories in the form of flashbacks that really don't need to exist at all. There is a large enough gap between the anime and manga for them to skip filler altogether, so it is very frustrating. I know some fans love the flashbacks and side stories and think they "enhance" the story, but I feel the exact opposite. It's getting to the point that it actually ticks me off a little.
I started documenting all of Naruto's battles in the Manga. I plan to eventually have a spoiler blog entry that highlights his growth and development as a fighter, a leader and a hero. Well, I quickly increased my dislike for the anime filler when I realized just how amazing the development is in the Manga series. There is steady growth in all aspects of his character. The filler stunts his growth and maintains this idiotic persona that fades over time in the source material. He is always "simple-minded" but so was Goku and so is Luffy. It's his accomplishments and hard work that gain the respect of others, and it's this little special something that makes them want to follow him. Something that fluctuates and is barely existent in the anime series because of the stunted growth. Lately the fillers have been to please fans of the supporting characters, but when "supporting" characters get more screen time than the main character then... Houston, we have a problem.
I rated the anime "filler-free" but lately my score has dropped a point because of how much the filler actually disrupts the main story. Not all of it is bad, but if you have never read the Manga while being a fan of the anime then you have no idea how bad it is compared to what it's supposed to be.
It really is the same as watching a great book turned into a crappy movie. You watch it anyways and the complain all night after watching it. I'm getting to that point with this series. I used to love the adaptation, even with the filler. Lately I can't say that I love it. If ever a series needed a reboot, this is one of those series. Bleach was ruined by filler, and Naruto certainly has come close in my opinion.
Ranting aside, the core story is still there and it's an amazing core story. The source material is poorly written for a weekly serialized story, but the end result is a 10. Waiting week to week is a little painful as of late, and not because you're stuck on a great cliffhanger, but because you are fed the material with a bitter spoonful here and there. If 2 or 3 weeks are a flashback that means you have a month of time (and this is not an exaggeration) before the story moves forward even 1 step. Lately the flashbacks have changed details as opposed to shedding light on unanswered questions. They are minor tweaks, but they are just enough to negate facts that have existed in the story for months (if not years in some cases). Things are told so matter-of-factly and then brushed off in 2 frames of dialogue so a "twist" can be inserted at random. Like I said, the end result works, but the way it is written overall is poor for a weekly serialized story.
Now that I have that out of my system, I can move on with my life and wait to see if more filler will be jammed down my throat next week. I hope not, but now I get to watch my other Thursday programming so thanks for reading!
Posted by
explicit707
| Mar 28, 2013 5:17 PM |
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