After the first episode of Naruto, I gave the show an 8. It was good. I'll give you that. The majority of anime don't get any more than a 6 from me usually. Shingeki no Kyojin, after the first episode, also got an eight. But I only changed that 8 to a 9 after the tenth Naruto episode, while Shingeki no Kyojin's eight turned into an immediate 10 after the second episode. Now, why is that? I'll try and explain.
Firstly: sfx and music. The atmosphere set up in Shingeki no Kyojin by the music accompaniments is absolutely flawless. In Naruto, I find that those things aren't as good. Some of the sfx and music are cliché. A lot of the 'touching' moments are filmed in such a terrible way that I couldn't decide if the show-makers intended us to understand it an a parodied way or a serious way. Maybe that's just me. But oh well, we all have our personal opinions.
Secondly: characters. This may be because I've read the manga previously, but I feel that the characters in Naruto, from the very first episodes of the manga, are very predictable, excepting a few choice moments. In SNK, there is no such thing. Every new development is a surprise. Every twist, every turn of the wrist and every trip decision comes as a complete shock.
Thirdly: direction of plot. One of the first things we hear Naruto say is that he wants to become the next Hokage. Since the show is named after him, we can safely assume, even from the first episode, that he will surmount all the coming obstacles and ascend to the position of Godaime no matter what obstacles lie in his path. I like the show, I really do. BUT THAT'S BORING. I don't like 'predictable' things - one of the reasons I prefer Shingeki no Kyojin. With SNK's plot, and with its developments, we have no idea whether or not killing the titans will ever be achieved. The main character's - Eren's - goal is to discover the outside world, and to do that he has to destroy the titans. He has no choice in the matter. It's that or getting killed. But with the number of deaths within the main characters and supporting characters, we could just as well safely assume that he'll get killed himself before he can even find out what the heck it was that his father left in his basement. Hell, even as I speak, Eren is being held captive in some rich guy's basement and about to be eaten by one of his best friends. And there seems to be no possible way out of it. A lot of the fans agree that it's possible he - the main character - will die. Naruto dying? Not possible. Never even considered. There can be no NARUTO without Naruto.
Fourthly: this last one is personal taste, but I tend to prefer really serious mangas/animes with very few comic relief (Sacha and Connie are two of the only comic relief characters in SNK, while ALL of Naruto's characters provide comic relief), heavy plot, manipulations, intrigues, and whatnot. I find that Naruto (the show, not the character, because Naruto Uzumaki is one of the characters I relate to the most in any anime) has TOO much comic relief, and takes TONNES away from the beauty and intensity that could be the show.
There's more, but I can't think how to put it into words. I tried my best not to give any SNK spoilers. No names.
Hope this is helpful to anyone who's been thinking the same thing or was looking for a comparison of the two. If you want to contact me to talk about this, or for any other reason, actually, then do! I'd be glad to meet someone new.
