So, I like to think of myself as a definite otaku (...sad to admit, I know). However if being obsessed over anime is what 'otaku' means then I most definitely fit the description.
Naruto was the second anime I watched when I was beginning my 'japanese cartoon' journey and I'll tell you all now - if you want to get yourself dedicated to a shounen/ninja/hero/action anime with a little emotional rollarcoaster thrown in with a bucket of laughs to top it off then Naruto is definitely one to get yourself attached to. True, you might think I'm going into this with a bias opinion and I probably am however I'm going to write a review anyway.
Story:-
I gave the story a 9 because despite my never ending love for the anime it does contain a few plot holes which (depending on how hard you look) are noticable when you look back. For example; parents! We don't see enough of the parents buuuut nagging parents aren't something you want in an action packed anime. It might just be the hardcore fans that need the little details (I know I certainly do). And when I say little details, that's all they really are. The story arcs all eventually link together towards the end of Shippuden (which is the sequal season to Naruto) but you can tell that at the beginning of Naruto they didn't know they were going to have a second season.
Art:-
I gave the art an 8. Now I was a bit skeptical of my choice because the only reason I'm not marking it a nine is because of it's age. It was first released in 2002 so you can only imagine the old animating style they used to have then. You can clearly see the progression of the style as time goes on. In the main areas of animation; speaking, running, fighting etc I'd say they're top notch for the resources they had 'back in the day'.
Sound:-
I gave this a 10 because of the soundtrack. Naruto (and Shippuden) has some of the most beautiful and emotional music in the anime community. When I'm looking at Youtube comments I can see that people who don't want the anime are listening to this music. It's amazing. Simply put. And when put to the animation it's even more incredible. Such an experience! Real edge of your seat stuff! (I don't mean to sound cheesy).
Character:-
This is where Naruto gets a liiiittle flawed. I'm giving it an 8 because of the way they sometimes portray little girls. And I don't mean anything to do with hentai, Christ no, I just mean sometimes they forget how young girls are. You know it; crying. And this is where I'll leave it for 'character' because I don't want you to go into this anime clouded by the fact they portray some girls a little annoying.
Enjoyment:-
Well, obviously a 10! I, to this day, enjoy Naruto as much as I did when I first started it. Thoroughly enjoy every episode, including the fillers.
Overall:-
I gave it a 9 all together because of the two 8s and two 10s. Overall a fantastic anime which came to it's end at 220 episodes. When you get to the end, God, you don't know how to feel. You don't know if you can ever feel again. But it's worth, afterwards you get a whole season more!
WhooO!
I think I lost steam towards the end but I hope you find the time in your schedule to add this in. It's a great anime!
