Five Reasons Why Naruto is an Excellent Anime

If your an anime nut like I am, it doesn't take much effort to realize why Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are first class anime productions. It is one of, if not THE, hottest animated program in Japan with millions of viewers tuning in weekly to see what antics the "Orange and Black" ninja gets himself into. The litmus test of anime popularity (especially programs which have not been translated) is the number of "Fan Subbing" groups supporting the anime. Fan subs are groups of people skilled in multiple languages which translates the spoken native language into subtitles, which are then digitally inserted into digitized screen captures of the originally aired television footage. The greater the number of subbing groups, the higher the popularity of the animation. Without further ado, here are five of my personal reasons for Narutos' excellence.1) The ease at which Naruto can be looked upon as a REAL person, rather than a cartoon character.From a personal perspective, it was easy for me to relate to Naruto as a real person after only a few episodes because he experienced things that many of us have experienced in our own lives. His personal struggle with acceptance from his townspeople for being 'different' resounds throughout today's society. Naruto MAKES people like him. That phrase is used over and over again in the anime, and it is because of this talent, Naruto wins the hearts and loyalty of everyone one he interacts with.2) The emotional breadth of all the main characters.Each of the main characters have a deep personal story that intertwines with the main story line. A deep sense of duty and loyalty (even if it is only to ones self) is omnipresent in each episode, and we, the viewers are allowed to see the emotional strength and weaknesses of each and every character. When one person is hurting, their comrades comfort them and share in their pain. With this, the viewer is also given the opportunity to 'feel' along with the characters.3) An EXTREMELY complex story line which ties connections to events past and future.Given that each character has a unique story that adds to the over-all Naruto Universe, it is sometimes difficult to see connections between people and events. There are many instances in which some statement, or scene in season one may have some significant relationship to a major event happening in season four. The writers are definitely top-notch professionals with an eye for detail and continuity.4) A thriving internet community that supports Fan Subbing on a commercial scale, but without any profit received.My first exposure to Naruto was from a co-worker. We were just 'getting over' the whole DragonBall Z experience (and feeling jaded about it too). He asked me to give it a try, so I looked it up on Google that night. One hundred thirty nine MILLION hits, and an entry in Wikipedia!!! I quickly started looking for Fan Subs sites, and on a recommendation from a forum I found my resource. After attending two Comic-Con's, Naruto literally exploded into the world of mainstream animation, comics and full-length feature film. Franchise sales for Naruto merchandise are staggering, with an increase every year. Naruto wall scroll, headbands, keychains, dvd's, posters and wallpaper are all over the internet.5) It is a program that both children and adults can relate to.While containing profanity and adult situations, Naruto is generally kid friendly (I take the time to pre-screen every episode before allowing my two pre-teen daughters to view). I can sit down with my kids and look at 4 or 5 episodes back-to-back and we wont say a word until it's over. It really is THAT good. Then we talk about how we felt about their situation... and often times it reflects on some issues that come up in their schools. Themes like someone being teased, or a bully that picks on smaller, younger kids... typical things that most of us adults have gone through already. But Naruto actually creates a situation conducive to child/adult commonality.I could list so many more reasons for Naruto's success, but please don't take my word for it. Watch this anime yourself to draw your own conclusions, and perhaps Naruto will draw you in to the story like is has for millions of other people around the world. Believe it!!

When Will Naruto End

Knowing that your favorite anime series is about to end is a lot like graduating from high school. It gives you mixed feelings - relief and despair. Relief because, if the author's nice, all the loose ends will be tied and you'll finally get your resolution and despair because you know that you'll know that, come next week, you'll no longer be sitting giddily in front of the TV waiting for your favorite show to air. Rumors of the End Recently, a lot of Naruto fans have been predicting that Naruto would end soon. And of course, it has created quite a racket among the Naruto fans because, really, who wants that anime to end? Sure, we all want to see if Naruto really does become Hokage, we all want to find out if Sasuke and Sakura get married, and we all want to see if Kakashi ever does take off his mask. But then again, Naruto has been with us for such a long time now - since 1999 for the manga and since 2002 for the anime. And Naruto's almost like a friend now - a little brother. And tuning in every week to see what happens to him has become such a familiar routine that it's hard to imagine a month without that knuckleheaded ninja that we all love.

This rumor - that Naruto would end soon - is still circulating even now as you read. The main question is - is it true? Frankly, I doubt it. There are just too many unresolved issues in Naruto right now that it doesn't seem feasible that the anime would end soon. A good indication that the anime's about to end is if the manga is nearing its end. And take it from an avid manga reader, Naruto's just warming up. The first part of Naruto before the timeskip was like an introduction of characters compared to the depth of Naruto Shippuden right now. All those issues in Naruto - the kyuubi, the Uchiha clan, the Akatsuki - they're all being explored in Shippuden right now. They're being dissected, and each day, we learn something new and the plot only gets deeper and deeper. Part 1 was barely stroking the surface. There was more to the Kyuubi than met the eye. It wasn't just a rampaging monster - the Kyuubi had ties to the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Madara to be exact. It seems that the Uchiha clan has more secrets that have yet to be revealed. There seems to be more to the Uchiha Clan's massacre than we were led to believe. Also, there's the appearance of the Rinnegan, the strongest doujutsu ever in the Naruto universe, and it is further complicated by the fact that it is the Akatsuki Leader who owns this eye technique. There's also the matter of Kabutomaru - the combination of Orochimaru and Kabuto. Then there's the whole matter of the root ANBU.

So, When Will Naruto End? If you want an honest answer, then I'd say that I have no idea. Only Kishimoto can tell. It's his story and he could end it tomorrow by killing off the characters with a comet if he so desired and we wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. All we can do is speculate. Really, there's just too many things going on in Naruto right now that it doesn't seem like it's going to end any time soon - at least, not in the next few years. So, I suggest you start loving that blond-haired ninja right now because it looks like Naruto's here to stay and there will still be tons to see as we continue to watch Naruto unfold.