Although the beginning of the story may not give much of an impression and suggest the characters are going to be having childish adventures together. The series is actually much different than expected which does get interesting the further the story develops. Of course to be expected there are many fight sequences adding a lot of action to the series, but more on that later.
Throughout Naruto there are many different story arcs which usually link together explaining the plot more in depth filling some holes, teaching us pieces of the past or developing certain characters more. The series however does tend to drag on a lot for each episode or fight sequences which may take a while to conclude. Many flashbacks are also included which take two different approaches. One that develop the character or explain an event either briefly or in depth. One that are to remind the audience of previous episodes, sometimes even during the early moments of an episode. The latter tend to get boring and eventually rather annoying. Added into the mix of things are a few emotional moments for characters and some comedy which might give a chuckle but nothing too hilarious except one or two events.
The characters in this series are rather unique in several ways. They each have their very own skills, ambitions and views upon certain matters. Most of the characters are focused on the younger generation, while there are still plenty of the older generation to experience, creating a large collection of likable or dislikeable characters. To pick a few, we have Naruto who appears to be quite dumb in understanding things, but has a good heart and knows how to get out of sticky situations during combat. His views can be quite mature for his age and the audience may sympathise with him at times. Then we have Sasuke who is the quiet vengeful type, of whom is seeking to kill his brother and the revival of his clan. Although having a dark atmosphere around him he can worry about his team and even become jealous of Naruto. We than have Sakura who appears to be a sweet girl, having her heart set on Sasuke, yet she can get in some bad tempers and show her other personality. Finally you have Kakashi, the team leader of the three, of adult age, who can be quite a likable character. He loves reading romance themed books of a certain series and is constantly later when meeting up with the team. Throughout the series, the skills and ways of each character is reflected in one way or another so we can learn the way they are like on the battlefield or within a group.
The combat is a little different than expected at a slower pace and being tactical rather than having much physical contact. Lots of thrown weapons are used, or types of hand seals, which can either, improve an aspect of themselves or use as a form of attack in battle. Most fights can get quite violent with some bloody scenes here and there. Problems with these fight sequences most noticable are the fact the characters involved talk too much. It can be interesting to learn how they pulled of a certain strategy, or what their attacks actually do to their opponents or surroundings. Another problem are the flashbacks, which doesn’t make sense when characters are facing against an enemy. Yet another problem is the constant usage of the same move from time to time which did get rather boring as well. Most fights during the series are conflicts that take place during the storyline while others tend to show the characters skills off a little, such as the Chuunin exam, which they take to become middle rank ninja. The series may take its story arcs at a slow pace but it eventually concludes the first main part of the story in 135 episodes, while the rest are filler episodes, which can be watched optionally as, they don’t develop the story any further. I never did watch them.
Animation/Scenery
Art and animation improve over time and also seem to be done differently at certain points in the series. Firstly the animation starts off quite dull in the beginning episodes but quickly picks up from there. Most simple actions are done in a simple manner, but most noticeable difference are during the fight sequences, which can take two different approaches towards them which I’ll explain a little later. There are quite a lot of still shots throughout either type of scene to possibly lengthen the episodes on helping to drag the series on a little longer. There are a few moments where the animation can get awkward from time to time. Effects for the techniques and powers seem to have been done fairly well too.
The two types of combat animation is best explained by using the words, slow and fast which now should be fairly obvious. During the slow combat situations, they contain a lot of talking and quick attacks or moves here and there being rather paced and tactical while the level of detail in each scene is still there. It is quite the opposite for the faster paced combat, more directed towards the physicals sides of fighting through punching and kicking. The scenes are much more quicker paced yet the level of detail is lower than normal for both the scenes and characters, yet more interactiveness to the environment around them.
Character designs overall can have a similar look to each other resorting to uses of different facial or clothing accessories. However, they are quite unique and fairly recognisable between them, while remaining well drawn. The best noticeable ways of making some characters stand out are these examples; The head guard covering Kakashi’s left eye, Lee’s large eyes and fuzzy eyebrows, while being nicknamed by Naruto for having so and Shiino’s sunglasses, with the top of his coat masking most of his face. Most of the lesser characters such as guards have a rather simple look between them. This also helps these characters stand out quite well from the rest making them interesting, especially once you learn more about them in the series.
Art wise, the series uses a lot of soft, bright tones for the characters and objects while being slightly saturated looking for the scenery. During the first few episodes the art seemed quite dull, but again quickly improves like everything else, getting sharper and visually more appealing. The scenery is also made quite well using consistent blends of colour and schemes. The village of Konoha uses a lot of brighter colours such as reds and greens to detail the locations. While for the hidden village of sand uses many yellows and yellowish looking cream colours. The makes the locations also unique in appearance just like the characters. Fights take place in different types of locations instead of barren landscapes, and vary between them during the series such as woodlands, bridges and canopy of trees to name a few depending on the situation.
Audio/Music
There are quite a lot of sound effects and music that create a nice set and compile together pretty well during either of the scenes where used. The contact of thrown weapons on wood, flesh or material is used correctly as well as the other sounds being timed right, no major complaints in this area. These sounds eventually become much more common and easy to recognise after a several episodes or less. Music is a nice highlight to the series, quite unique in tune mixing a bit of modern or rock with old style or chants. Each track has its one touch, being used well throughout the series during the correct scenes. These also become common and quite enjoyable where I’ve found myself tapping my feet to them as they start up. New tracks are introduced as the series progresses and some can make certain scenes much more exciting to watch, emotional of funnier depending on the scene again. Never had a problem with the voice actors, but found the mysterious or evil characters fit their role, being reflected towards the audience well.
Conclusion
An interesting series that isn’t for everyone out there, which can be either liked or hated. Many characters and action sequences which are usually approached well although the series does tend ot drag on, while being combined with good sound and music throughout. Enjoyable watch putting the slow pace aside, yet an over rated series.
