Story (4/10) In a nutshell, Naruto has one of the most deus ex machina filled plots with a hearty helping of Christopher Nolan (aside from the HxH plagiarism, of course). A bad summary would entail the following: a masochistic, prepubescent ninja sets off on his grand quest to retrieve his beloved rival (whom he shared intimate kisses) and defeat all who oppose his dream: converting Konoha village to the Dattebayo! religion. Well, that really doesnt do the show justice, but the hilarity of it stems from how true it may seem. A young ninja named Naruto whose dream is to become Hokage through a number of deus ex machina and turning each and every villain into a contrived ally. Also, lets not leave out the fact that this is essentially a discount Hunter x Hunter. A young boy sets out to surpass his father (Gon/Killua - Naruto) goes through an intense physical exam (Hunter Exam/Chuunin Exam) where he meets the main antangonist (Hisoka/Oorchimaru) trains to become better while the other character (Sasuke/Kurapika) wants revenge on the extinction of his tribe (Scarlet tribe/ Sharigan clan) for the harvesting of their powers (that one guy with the sharigans in his arms/ everyone collecting the Scarlet eyes). Oh, lets not forget both eyes are special and red. Clearly not downright plagiarism right?
Art (7/10) The art style was very unique. Instead of switching to the crisp, overused layouts as is done today in most anime, Naruto delivers a more Edo-period type feel. For example, compare it to Toei Animation's One Piece and you will clearly see the difference. The series itself leads into a feel only known and beget to the series. Other than that, the fight scenes are well done, yet there are parts which seem a little choppy, mostly because of the feel aspect and not relying on super-crisp animation. Other than that, I love the animation.
Sound (8/10) This is an area of great controversy. The background music, fight music, emotional settings and light-hearted tones fit well within the series. I can definitely concur with that. However, some openings and endings did not fit the show at all, namely Blue Bird and "You are my FRIEND AH UGHGH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH" God, <sigh> did anyone else hate that one. Aside from that, the only other problem I have are the voice actors, namely Naruto himself. I usually dont agree with this subject but I sadly find the dubbed version to suit him better than the Japanese one. Not because of the voice alone. The actor/actress seems to fail to capture all that naruto stands for within the voice acting and intonation. Maybe, its because of the script and the use of certain japanese characters which dont fit but the voice actors are asked to improvise the script itself, .....so there. I'm an asshole Naruto fans....forgive me for having an opinion.
Character (4/10) Aside from a specific few, there is very very little character development for a show this long. The show and manga seem to address a huge cast of actors, which they subsequently throw away for the sake of plot progression. I would like to say it pulled of the "Angel Beats academy of unknown side characters" but Angel beats is phenomenal and Naruto is older.....hence naruto is to blame and is now the entitled founder of said academy. Look at Shikamaru, look at the rest of the teams. The only thing remediable is their powers, which already is over used and such forth. Remember Hinata's confession and how it was never addressed afterwards by any character in both the anime and manga? Yep, some good development we got here. Also, ughghgh.....Naruto and Sasuke. The whole thing is a sin. It's unbelievable, it goes against Naruto's dream fundamentally, and is essentially a discount Christopher Nolan. The only thing stopping it from being a full-on Christopher Nolan is a bookshelf and someone randomly yelling, "MUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRPH!" Good movie by the way, watch it if you haven't.
Enjoyment (3/10) This is actually going to be the shortest thing I will address because my view on this area is surprisingly popular. The anime is 3/10 because....fillers. By the time Luffy becomes the Pirate King, Naruto would become the filler king. The manga is a 5/10 for the above reasons only...thats about it.
Overall (5/10) In summary, this was a dreadful piece of work. Why? Three main reasons: unplanned, fanservice, and deus ex machinas all over the place. Naruto was not forethought. In the end battle alone, the main antagonist shifted three times!!!! That shouldnt happen. Even if everyone is yelling PLOT TWIST! Nonsense....it is a cop out ending in all respects to writing and literature works. Two. Fanservice. Naruto is surprisingly popular. I really don't understand why. Maybe because of its shonen serialization or its overhyped commercialization....either way its still sinful. The show still hasnt ended, yet the manga has ended over two years ago. The movie ended the manga at a good place, I will give it that. However, now I have to deal with another serialization about Boruto and Co. Freakin money and its crappy influence. Third, EX MACHINAS! This show literally couldnt put more deus ex machinas even if it tried. It's complete crap. The use of tropes and moral punchlines is all wrong. Every good well-developed villain becomes a side-character on the force of good after meeting Naruto. Its awful. Its a Christopher Nolan performance.......of cheesiness and cop out endings and fillers. Also, the fanbase against this argument is toxic. A perfect example is Double4anime. Just watch him on youtube and how butthurt he gets when someone despises his beloved Naruto. Bottom line, would I recommend this show? not the show but the manga, but then I will provide ten more that automatically beat it as an example of "here's anime done wrong, and here's ten done right." Phew, that was long. I apologized if I offended anyone with this long digression. If you like the show, thats perfectly ok. However, be aware of the wrong things with it and accept it instead of ignorantly covering your ears and hate spamming. Is my opinion right? No! Absolutely not. This is a biased opinion of everything wrong with Naruto. And although I tried to be impartial, it was still a partial review for which I duly apologize. So, if you feel butt hurt, read a positive review. There's literally thousands of 10/10 reviews out there. So there. I hope you enjoyed it!
