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elyusionDisclaimer: I did watch The Last: Naruto the Movie. I did not watch 98% of filler episodes, and I didn't watch the first ~30 episodes of Naruto because I was a manga-reader at first and switched to the anime in hopes that the animation during fights would be epic (which turned out to not always be the case, but when it happened, boy did it happen).
I really want to write about watching all this in a year, but I can't come up with words on my own. Thus, I'm forced to go at it MAL-style and break it this review up by parts.
Note: I started this Dec 31st at 4am, but New Year's happened and yea.
Story
Watching Naruto while a leftist will give you the bleed status effect, I'm not gonna hold you. Like, the fact that Itachi is the most popular character -- judging by Anilist likes -- when his story is that he's so staus-quo-pilled that he used the forbidden Genocide no Jutsu to become world's first emorace clan traitor. So centrist he'd kill for it. Nothing ever happens Or Else. If I were as smart as him I simply would have found another way. Of course, he can be no smarter than his writer. But whatever! Whatever.
The thing about Naruto is that it has incredibly high highs, and the most boring drawn-out lows. I don't know what to rate it when I spent more of the show bored than amused, but I can remember the moments where I was having fun so well and let them carry me through the bad parts. Just waiting for my expectations to be met, or for tension to be released, etc. But sometimes the tension was for nothing, like how Shippuden started with foreshadowing Sasuke and Naruto's next meeting, and then when it finally happened it was kinda just like. Okay? Besides the yaoi moment.
I did really like the world. I wish I could have learned more about not just its history but also the daily life, but the show cared more about fights and powerscaling.
Kishimoto was always creating and talking about Brothers and Brotherhood, but he never spends too long with an equivalent Sisterhood between any female characters. A lot of the female characters don't get to do a lot, especially when they're crazy outclassed by Naruto and Sasuke's nepotism, which would make me think "does this show even need women? Why are they here," but of course if there were no girls I would complain about that too 😭 Aaaaand by the way the romances mostly all suck and are forced either for manpain or just because that's what men are expected to do as men. The way people were crying over and glazing that damn movie really shows shonenbros haven't seen a good romance story in their life, or they'd know that was certified mid at best. They had to make up new lore and slightly assassinate Naruto's character to make NaruHina make sense, lmao.
Basically, I think the story is its best when it's men kicking each other's asses over strained relationships, and it's at its worst when uhhhhhhhhh most anything else <3
Art
I've always thought Naruto had a very inoffensive art style. I don't want to call it generic... Well, I think Kishimoto is good at character design, so maybe if he wasn't the anime would be boring to look at. (The manga is different. He does some good lines, and his illustrations are nice and edgy. Art for the anime doesn't look nearly as stylish.) This feels kind of weird to point out, but I like the body proportions, especially in the first part where a lot of the characters are younger. I'm used to seeing very leggy designs, so it's neat to see characters who are still cute or handsome without all that, I guess. They have a weight to them... I don't know how to say it properly, sorry ^^;
Sound
The music that plays within episodes is nice. Not much else to say about it though. It suits the world (uses traditional Japanese instruments and rhythms, except for when it doesn't), and I've never had to pause an episode to see where a horrible sound was coming from or something.
As for the opening and ending songs... I'll let my Wrapped speak for itself. (There's more misses than hits for me, but the hits are HITS.)
Character
When I was watching the last couple of episodes I realized how much I liked the cast even besides Naruto and Sasuke, and sighed. Dammit. I'm always hating on FE13 and 14 for this kind of thing. I can't fall for these one-trope ponies. And yet........ Or when I was watching the Itachi backstory episodes and I was like "damn, I kinda miss the Akatsuki. Wait, what?" A big part of that is probably thanks to Kishimoto's great character design skills though. I want to go back and watch all the filler episodes one day 💔 So I can see everyone more 💔 The movies too 💔💔 I fell for them all hook line and sinker like an idiot 💔💔💔💔💔
Character development wise. Okay, maybe this goes in the story section but it's really funny Naruto starts off like the moral of the story is gonna be "no matter how everyone hates on you, if you work hard you can achieve ANYTHING," and then it ends like "yea so Naruto and Sasuke were actually able to do all that because they're reincarnations of some of the bestest shinobi ever in the world. good bye." Like ??? 😭😭 But besides Neji dying so he couldn't say "I TOLD YOU. I TOLD YOU ALL." when they revealed that NaruSasu are nepo babies, I feel emotional about having to watch those two grow up even now; I can't imagine how it felt to finish it as someone who started Naruto as it was running/airing. um um ummmm Sasuke was right and will be vindicated God willing #DeathToTheLeaf
Enjoyment
I enjoy enough to do something I never thought I'd do.............. powerscaling. Terrifying what shounen does to you.
Besides that :( I don't want to admit it :( But I liked Naruto :( I feel things about a lot of the cast :( And I like looking at the art :( And it kinda made my eyeballs moist multiple times :( Even though sometimes it was so boring I wanted to drop it and run for the hills :( I gave it 6/10 on Anilist but my feelings for it can't be captured just by the rating, because there are aspects I love a lot and aspects that make me think we need to take Kishimoto and the Shonen Jump editors hostage.
Various opinions
1. I like Sasuke
2. I want to drop an anvil on Itachi's head
3. The Akatsuki were handled way faster than I expected considering the hype they got. I like what fandom does with them though.
4. NaruSasu/SasuNaru shouldn't have been endgame since they have the best chemistry, I think they should be boybestfriends 5ever and the gay sex should be left to fandom. Some desires are better unfulfilled. Naruto getting married is fine, if they did the romance better, but despite Sasuke's dream of restoring his clan I can't imagine him with a wife seriously 😭 But I can't imagine him as a manwhore either. So where do we go from here.
5. I like Kimimaro
6. Okay idk what else to say but I could probably talk all day if someone asked me something. Naruto is very talk-about-able, which is a point towards it.
7. I like Naruto Uzumaki (believe it!!)
I really want to write about watching all this in a year, but I can't come up with words on my own. Thus, I'm forced to go at it MAL-style and break it this review up by parts.
Note: I started this Dec 31st at 4am, but New Year's happened and yea.
Story
Watching Naruto while a leftist will give you the bleed status effect, I'm not gonna hold you. Like, the fact that Itachi is the most popular character -- judging by Anilist likes -- when his story is that he's so staus-quo-pilled that he used the forbidden Genocide no Jutsu to become world's first emo
The thing about Naruto is that it has incredibly high highs, and the most boring drawn-out lows. I don't know what to rate it when I spent more of the show bored than amused, but I can remember the moments where I was having fun so well and let them carry me through the bad parts. Just waiting for my expectations to be met, or for tension to be released, etc. But sometimes the tension was for nothing, like how Shippuden started with foreshadowing Sasuke and Naruto's next meeting, and then when it finally happened it was kinda just like. Okay? Besides the yaoi moment.
I did really like the world. I wish I could have learned more about not just its history but also the daily life, but the show cared more about fights and powerscaling.
Kishimoto was always creating and talking about Brothers and Brotherhood, but he never spends too long with an equivalent Sisterhood between any female characters. A lot of the female characters don't get to do a lot, especially when they're crazy outclassed by Naruto and Sasuke's nepotism, which would make me think "does this show even need women? Why are they here," but of course if there were no girls I would complain about that too 😭 Aaaaand by the way the romances mostly all suck and are forced either for manpain or just because that's what men are expected to do as men. The way people were crying over and glazing that damn movie really shows shonenbros haven't seen a good romance story in their life, or they'd know that was certified mid at best. They had to make up new lore and slightly assassinate Naruto's character to make NaruHina make sense, lmao.
Basically, I think the story is its best when it's men kicking each other's asses over strained relationships, and it's at its worst when uhhhhhhhhh most anything else <3
Art
I've always thought Naruto had a very inoffensive art style. I don't want to call it generic... Well, I think Kishimoto is good at character design, so maybe if he wasn't the anime would be boring to look at. (The manga is different. He does some good lines, and his illustrations are nice and edgy. Art for the anime doesn't look nearly as stylish.) This feels kind of weird to point out, but I like the body proportions, especially in the first part where a lot of the characters are younger. I'm used to seeing very leggy designs, so it's neat to see characters who are still cute or handsome without all that, I guess. They have a weight to them... I don't know how to say it properly, sorry ^^;
Sound
The music that plays within episodes is nice. Not much else to say about it though. It suits the world (uses traditional Japanese instruments and rhythms, except for when it doesn't), and I've never had to pause an episode to see where a horrible sound was coming from or something.
As for the opening and ending songs... I'll let my Wrapped speak for itself. (There's more misses than hits for me, but the hits are HITS.)
Character
When I was watching the last couple of episodes I realized how much I liked the cast even besides Naruto and Sasuke, and sighed. Dammit. I'm always hating on FE13 and 14 for this kind of thing. I can't fall for these one-trope ponies. And yet........ Or when I was watching the Itachi backstory episodes and I was like "damn, I kinda miss the Akatsuki. Wait, what?" A big part of that is probably thanks to Kishimoto's great character design skills though. I want to go back and watch all the filler episodes one day 💔 So I can see everyone more 💔 The movies too 💔💔 I fell for them all hook line and sinker like an idiot 💔💔💔💔💔
Character development wise. Okay, maybe this goes in the story section but it's really funny Naruto starts off like the moral of the story is gonna be "no matter how everyone hates on you, if you work hard you can achieve ANYTHING," and then it ends like "yea so Naruto and Sasuke were actually able to do all that because they're reincarnations of some of the bestest shinobi ever in the world. good bye." Like ??? 😭😭 But besides Neji dying so he couldn't say "I TOLD YOU. I TOLD YOU ALL." when they revealed that NaruSasu are nepo babies, I feel emotional about having to watch those two grow up even now; I can't imagine how it felt to finish it as someone who started Naruto as it was running/airing. um um ummmm Sasuke was right and will be vindicated God willing #DeathToTheLeaf
Enjoyment
I enjoy enough to do something I never thought I'd do.............. powerscaling. Terrifying what shounen does to you.
Besides that :( I don't want to admit it :( But I liked Naruto :( I feel things about a lot of the cast :( And I like looking at the art :( And it kinda made my eyeballs moist multiple times :( Even though sometimes it was so boring I wanted to drop it and run for the hills :( I gave it 6/10 on Anilist but my feelings for it can't be captured just by the rating, because there are aspects I love a lot and aspects that make me think we need to take Kishimoto and the Shonen Jump editors hostage.
Various opinions
1. I like Sasuke
2. I want to drop an anvil on Itachi's head
3. The Akatsuki were handled way faster than I expected considering the hype they got. I like what fandom does with them though.
4. NaruSasu/SasuNaru shouldn't have been endgame since they have the best chemistry, I think they should be boybestfriends 5ever and the gay sex should be left to fandom. Some desires are better unfulfilled. Naruto getting married is fine, if they did the romance better, but despite Sasuke's dream of restoring his clan I can't imagine him with a wife seriously 😭 But I can't imagine him as a manwhore either. So where do we go from here.
5. I like Kimimaro
6. Okay idk what else to say but I could probably talk all day if someone asked me something. Naruto is very talk-about-able, which is a point towards it.
7. I like Naruto Uzumaki (believe it!!)
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Date: 2026-01-03 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-03 01:49 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2026-01-03 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-04 10:25 am (UTC)This is so real. Reading this activated something in me, I've spent a significant amount of my overall fandom time complaining about Naruto politics because they are so not very good. "To become the world's first emo race traitor" is a description of Itachi that kills me, help.
And you're so right about how the series writes women, it's so awful... they really have no role and little personality outside being of service to the men, and even those roles are so minimal that you're correct in saying that they could be entirely written out and little would actually change...
You talking about the characters getting to you is also very real. I feel like if anything, Kishimoto's incredibly good at creating memorable personalities. The Akatsuki members, especially characters like Sasori and Deidara, who don't have long-standing roles in the series and yet are still among the most popular and merch-ed characters, really attest to that!
And YEAH on the enjoyment part... Naruto Really gets to you, quality aside... there must be some reason I still come back to it so frequently. It's one of those things you don't really get until you actually experience it, and it's fun to see that you had that very experience, haha.
Sasuke is my favourite character so it made me excited to see that you also liked him! Death to the Leaf Village for real.
I'm also wondering: did you watch the show subbed or dubbed? If you've heard both, how do you feel that they compare? I'm always curious because there are a lot of the Naruto dub voice actors that I'm fond of, though I've long grown out of the dub as a whole because I find the acting inconsistent. They do tend to do better in the movies, though!
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Date: 2026-01-05 03:44 am (UTC)I mostly watched is subbed, but there were points where I was watching it dubbed into English, LATAM Spanish, and even European Spanish for a brief moment. I won't comment on the European dub, the LATAM dub had the usual audio mixing quality which colored my whole experience on it, so let's stick to the English and Japanese ones: I liked the English voices themselves, but the way they spoke to match the mouthflaps bothered me juuust a little. I don't know if modern anime dubs are still like that? I think I've been spoiled by games, which (in the games I play) don't have to try to fit how the mouth is moving. Not the best dub, not the worst, I <3 Sasuke's dub voice. And Madara's, Naruto's is iconic so of course, and Guy and Lee's. In the end I prefer the JP dub, but the Eng dub is no problem. I hope to make time to watch the movies some day :D
I was sooo surprised by how quickly Sasori and Deidara went down, LMFAO, because I would see them around a lot!! But when I saw them again I was like yayyy Sasori and Deidara. Don't even know where it came from. Memorable personalities indeed.