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AdamWithers In reply to tehferg [2015-11-05 03:30:01 +0000 UTC]

I thought it was alright, had some great bits and some that dragged. Like much of the series (and Japanese storytelling in general) it tended to linger too long on some points, explaining and re-explaining certain things over and over again without ever putting it in plain enough words to just make sense immediately so we could just move on already.

...And the idea of Sasuke and Sakura being together is madness. Utter madness. Completely out of left field, based on nothing in the work, and totally contradictory to everything about how he's acted through the entire series. I was also disappointed in how nearly all the female characters were treated by the end (particularly Hinata, who got nothing to do except literally falling on her face) and how few of the supporting cast were given meaningful things to contribute.

But that was the whole series, right? It isn't called "12 Awesome Ninja Kids," it's called "Naruto." For better or worse, that means it's gonna keep coming down to that one guy. And insofar as it delivered on Naruto's journey and the finale of the war and what it was all really about, I really liked it. He remains one of the few primary antagonists who stayed deeply likeable the whole time (usually the supporting cast is much more interesting and fun). So much of what the ending did appealed to me that it just throws the few sticking points into extra-stark contrast.

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tehferg In reply to AdamWithers [2015-11-05 18:25:39 +0000 UTC]

To be honest I despised Naruto at the beginning of the series, taking more of a liking to hinata and choji, for different reasons respectively. Naruto seemed just a little to loud mouthed, sausuke was too pouty, and Sakura was useless. I agree on the Sakura and sausuke thing, I thought Sakura should have been with Lee and sausuke could have Karin. Did you read Naruto gaiden?

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AdamWithers In reply to tehferg [2015-11-05 18:38:53 +0000 UTC]

I sympathized with Naruto a lot, though yeah he could be mouthy as hell. Overall, though, I felt he was just a sad kid, and he showed signs of growth and maturation surprisingly quickly. And yes I read Gaiden, and it made me hate Sasuke more. Not only is he an unrelenting prick, he's also a deadbeat father and emotionally abusive husband. Boo.

Funny you took such a shine to Choji and Hinata. I ship the hell out of those two. Of course, I also still firmly believe there's a very real level on which the story is about Naruto and Sasuke as two homosexual boys who can't figure out how to deal with the feelings they have for each other and go in two opposite directions as a result.

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tehferg In reply to AdamWithers [2015-11-05 23:32:56 +0000 UTC]

I'm curious, why do you ship Choji and Hinata?

I ask because I identify with Choji in a few ways, and oddly enough my best friend growing up identifies a lot with Shikamaru. It was an interesting revelation when I saw the two as best friends, how they met, and how well they worked together. 

As for Hinata, I've always just had a thing for shy girls, and I really liked how her character developed from quiet and reserved, to being a strong fighter, and I wish the part in the filler anime when they were searching for the bug to track Sausuke's scent was actual canon, as the ability was awesome.  

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AdamWithers In reply to tehferg [2015-11-09 15:06:49 +0000 UTC]

I think that Choji is the only one who would love Hinata the way she loves others. I suspect him to be as big on giving hugs as she is on receiving them. I think she's as big on taste-testing as he is on cooking (and that there's an Akimichi in every kitchen of every respectable restaurant in the village). I think they'd be best friends and that's always the best kind of relationship. I like to imagine that, all those times when you see Hinata peeking at Naruto from behind a tree as a little girl, you could pan the camera over and see Choji peeking at Hinata. I just find them both exceedingly sweet and think they would really enhance and empower each other.

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