Naruto

[Squeek]

Let me begin with a small synopsis copied from Anime News Network.

"Naruto closely follows the life of a boy who is feared and detested by the villagers of the hidden leaf village of Konoha. The distrust of the boy has little to do with the boy himself, but it’s what’s inside him that causes anxiety. Long before Naruto came to be, a Kyuubi (demon fox) with great fury and power waged war taking many lives. The battle ensued for a long time until a man known as the Fourth Hokage, Yondaime, the strongest ninja in Konoha, fiercely fought the Kyuubi. The fight was soon won by Yondaime as he sealed the evil demon in a human body. Thus the boy, Naruto, was born. As Naruto grows he decides to become the strongest ninja in Konoha in an effort to show everyone that he is not as they perceive him to be, but is a human being worthy of love and admiration. But the road to becoming Hokage, the title for the strongest ninja in Konoha, is a long and arduous one. It is a path filled with betrayal, pain, and loss; but with hard work, Naruto may achieve Hokage."

The series will air its 120th episode on Wednesday, January 26th.

Let me begin by saying one simple thing. There are far too many people saying they won't watch this show because it is too much like Dragonball Z. While I agree with you on some points, I strongly argue against this belief.

a) The use of a plot.
b) The use of character growth & development.
c) The use of a large cast that differ in ability.
d) The use of incredible music.
e) The use of not having 50 episodes per fight.

The first 20 or so episodes provide an introduction to the series quite well. You meet the entire cast of characters, even if just for a brief moment. You learn some concepts they will constantly be referring to and many terms they will use. You learn character's aspirations and goals.

Then you come to the section of the show from 20 - 80 all about something known as the Chuunin Exams. I will not elaborate on this too much due to potential spoilers, but I will mention that the late 30s to late 40s were what made this series for me.

From 80-present and beyond is a whole 'nother series of events. I don't even know what to call it, so I'll leave it up to the potential viewer to watch this far. The series is picking up in action right about now, at 115-130.

Music

The background music in Naruto is always present. The music always fits the mood of the time perfectly. HOWEVER, they will play a track known as "Bad Situation" far too often. Once you hear it a dozen times, you'll be sick of it.

As for the intros, let's break them down.

Rocks - Decent song; a little too slow.
Haruka Kanata - High-energy rock song by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Great video synchronization as well.
Kanashimi wo Yasashisa ni - High-pitched girl-sung song that most people hate. Not that great.
GO! - Great action-packed song. The video for it rules. They actually change the video at episode 90 to fit the tone even better.
Seishun Kyosokyoku - Current theme. It is again perfect for the tone of the show as it is right now.

Endings, well, there are too many. Only 2 or 3 are decent...

Wind - Sounds like a Jamaican singing in English. Decent song.
Viva Rock - Stupid song with stupid video, but only other decent one.
Imamade Nandomo - Best ever. Shame they replaced it with crap at 90.

Overall, I rate this show a 8/10. The fighting scenes are well-done and the music is great. The only beef I have is the repetitiveness of that song I mentioned before and some really REALLY stupid characters (at times).

~Squeek