Genuinely the peak of Naruto. Like, it literally doesn't get better than this. Haven't watched anything other than this because that's legit how good it is, and you know what? I'm fine with that because I know I'd be disappointed. I'd even go as far as to say this is the peak of anime as a whole, and I've been dreading starting a new series since this episode. Even considering getting a tattoo (you don't need to know where) with my new life motto on it:
Gotta see, gotta know.
That says it all. Actual cinema. The Godfather has nothing on this. 12 Angry Men? This episode makes them look like 12 very well mannered men. This episode let Forrest run, sweeped the floor of Fight Club, became the One True Ring to rule them all. The Dark Knight took one look at this episode and instantly became The Light Knight. I escaped the Matrix by watching this episode. I now understand Interstellar's story, and it's honestly underwhelming after watching this episode. This episode saved Private Ryan. I'd rate it 6 stars if I could and that wouldn't even be enough. Not even 7 stars would be enough. I'd argue this episode makes the entire star rating system flawed, because I can't even give it a concrete value that adequately describes how good it is. Gotta see, gotta know.
Watching Naruto and Sakura slowly bring Sasuke into their plot in the opening? It sets up the expectations for the viewer so tantalizingly well that you're immediately drawn into Naruto's plot as well. Now you HAVE to see, you HAVE to know. The ramen shop gag is amazing - you're on edge, you feel the anticipation of seeing Kakashi's face because he has to lower his mask. But then snow falls. He doesn't eat the ramen. He doesn't lower his mask. They go again - a time loop? A dream? No, he knows what's coming. But it doesn't come, and he starts to eat the ramen - Explosion. He might never get to eat his ramen, he might never lower his mask, you might never see his face. You keep going through the episode... And then he lowers the mask. But there's a group in the way, you can't see it?! You can't see him lower his mask?! Of course, it would never be that easy. A great opener to a great episode as you see Naruto and the crew fail at every turn. You can't help but root for them, because - say it with me - gotta see, gotta know. And as you start to feel like their quest will never bear fruit, you learn their endeavors are actively saving his life from the dastardly rogue ninjas. Naruto has to keep going - not only must we see and know, but we have to keep Kakashi alive (so we, of course, can see his true face). The episode keeps going, Naruto keeps failing, until he gets impatient - he tries to rip the mask off. We should have known it would be the easiest method, of course. But he gets caught. Naruto's hare-brained schemes finally catch up to him, but when it all comes crashing down, he finds an escape: the rogue ninjas' equally hare-brained schemes catch up to them as well. It's symmetrical, and it's beautiful. And after all of that, all we've been through, we learn an important lesson - Naruto could have just asked Kakashi this entire time. It's an important lesson we all should take in stride - Never be afraid to ask questions. If you really want to know something, you should just ask. The worst they can do is tell you "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't want to answer that."
And how beautiful is it, that after all of that, we don't even learn what his face looks like? He wears two masks at all times. It's insane! It's Kafkaesque! It's Sisyphean! But it's beautiful to know, isn't it?
Gotta see, gotta know!
11/10 episode. I'd argue this show should be used as some kind of anime rating version of the International Prototype of the Kilogram, but... how can you compare other episodes to this? You cannot have an episode half as good as this, you cannot have an episode worth 0.5 Naruto EP101, you cannot rate anime based off of this. This is just... too good to be compared to anything else.
It's sad that we've forgotten how to make episodes like this. I weep whenever I see what the youngsters are watching nowadays, because I know they've forgotten this episode was ever made. But for us, for the lucky ones, who wanted to see, who wanted to know... we can never go back. We had to see. We had to know. And you had to be there. |
