Well, part 1 Naruto tells the story of a young Tom Sawyer-ish trouble maker kid who wants to be a ninja. It doesn't take long for him to graduate ninja school and begin his journey to become a legendary shinobi, however it's not just Naruto to watch this show for, the supporting cast and antagonists, especially in Part 1, are what make this story shine. Some of the most beautifully sad stories I've ever read/seen (in this case seen) are depicted within this anime, and it's just an amazing story that no one should miss. It enthralled me as a child, and astounded me as an adult, the level of thought, symbolism, and hidden details within this story could only be crafted by geniuses, which would be Kishimoto and his editors.
All the characters are interesting, have unique personalities, sometime horrific pasts and secrets, and a good lot of them are extremely likable, such as everyone's favorite teacher Kakashi or the goofy underdog with passion Rock Lee. Even some of the most menacing antagonists you'd never think you'd care about, suddenly show that even they are worth your empathy. There's a good reason this is the biggest hit anime series to sweep america, and that's due to the overwhelmingly strong story, characters, and masterfully orchestrated soundtrack.
Now, sure it's amazing, but there are negatives, most which are exclusive to the anime adaption and not the manga. While the anime adaption does a great job portraying the most important scenes, with fantastic animation and great music placement and sound, the entire thing isn't this way. This is because different directors and animation teams worked on different parts of the show, so one director could be brilliant, and one could have a lower budget and not be so brilliant, thus the art and execution are inconsistent in areas.
That's not the only negative however, this show has these annoying things called fillers, which are additional story arcs added on that weren't part of Kishimoto's original manga. These are pretty cheesy and badly written and should be skipped, except for a particular comedic episode about attempted to remove Kakashi's mask. If you want to enjoy the show to it's full potential these should be skipped, especially the huge lot of them towards the end.
Another thing is censorship. In the manga, there are some scenes that are just far to graphic for whatever timeslot the anime aired in Japan, such as a particular scene where a rogue shinobi is has naked corpses hung on the walls and is removing their limbs and dissecting them. Scenes like this are replaced with stuff that's less graphic but still sorta gets the point across.
It's a shame such a great anime with a strong soundtrack and legendary source material has such blaring issues, but that's what bumps it down to a 9, it isn't a perfect adaption, has inconsistent art (but great at times) and various other annoying changes or additions that hamper my enjoyment of the Naruto manga in motion.
I recommend skipping the fillers for the best viewing experience, but regardless, this is a story you won't forget, with characters you won't forget, moments you won't forget, and feelings you won't forget.
There's no score more appropriate for this show other than a 9/10.
