What is Naruto? It is an action series that appeared out of nowhere that, in my opinion, along with Bleach, defined the action/adventure/drama genre. By saying that a series defined a genre, it does not mean that series is the best from that genre. It merely means that the series, at that time, came out and boosted the enjoyment and popularity of that genre, also becoming one of the most popular of that genre. That series will be compared to when people talk of the genre, and newer series of the same genre will aim to surpass it. That is, by my definition, what is means to define a genre.
Story: 7/10
From the moment it came out I was hooked. The story was catchy, and the action was already present in the first episode. What really impressed me was the second episode, which introduced a very common sub-genre into the action genre, and that is comedy. The pacing of the series was good, the suspense was there, the comedy was there, and there was this yearning to find out more about all the other ninjutsu and fighting styles that were also there.
The plot, in itself, was pretty bad and didn't make a lot of sense to me. Basically, each ninja is supposed to find "their way of being a ninja" and by doing so, many of them broke the rules for being a ninja. By being a ninja, one has to put their mission above all of their emotions, but the series is completely based on themes of loneliness, sadness, friendship, and all this stuff that's about emotions. However, this was what I analyzed after looking back at the series. Back then, the plot was good enough for me to keep my interest in it; therefore, I gave it an overall seven.
Art: 8/10
The action scenes are quite cool back then since it was really some of the most impressive action sequences that I have ever seen. The art, not animation, was just mediocre. Nothing really stands out, and while the ninjas "teleporting" from place to place looks cool, it is really just easier to animate. I will argue that the lack of artistic involvement does not affect my enjoyment of the series significant, and from a director's point of view, a long series such as this cannot afford to spent much more time on art.
Sound: 10/10
The background music was what blew me away. Sometimes it is soothing and sad, other times it is cheery, and during action scenes, it is catchy and fun. Without Naruto's famous background music scores, the quality of the series would really go down drastically, since hearing is one of the senses that is necessary to draw someone completely into a series. Naruto did just that, so I will give Toshiro Masuda, the composer for the Naruto scores, my highest regards.
Character: 7/10
Looking at each character at a time, they all have great development. Of course, everyone's favorite is Haku, and it is for a very good reason. I still think that Haku's "arc" is the best arc of Naruto, simply because of the huge amount of emotions that the arc conveys. Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara all have their own sad pasts, and it is common for the characters' actions to be driven by events that happened to them in the past. This, in a sense, unifies the plot and shows mastery of character development. After all, the past, present, and future plays a huge role of "their way of ninja." There is one flaw when you look at the overall picture, however. All of the main characters seem to suffer from the same sad and bitter past, which gets repetitive after a while.
Enjoyment: 10/10
After all of this criticism, I just plainly and inexplicably enjoyed the series. Naruto is one series where equations don't work out and analyses fail. I can find so many flaws about it, but yet, it is just so damn enjoyable. There were many memorable scenes, such as Haku's loyalty and Sakura's feelings. Anime can be watched, enjoyed, and tossed away, but the ones that create vivid memories are the ones that you enjoy the most.
Overall: 7/10
Remember that I am only reviewing this anime up to episode 135, so fillers are not included. I personally think that the fillers ruined the anime, and they were such a drastic failure that we forgot about the time when Naruto was enjoyable. Yes, I think that Naruto is just a mediocre series now and not as good as it used to be. However, I will never forget the amount of enjoyment this series have given me, and I will give it a fair rating on how much it meant to me. Naruto was part of my early anime experience, and it was one of the reasons why I am such an anime fan today. I owe a lot to this series, and even though it might not be great now, it is a series I will always remember.
