I don't know about the lot of you, but for me Naruto holds a very special place in my heart. It has had its flaws, like any long running narrative, but even then I never missed my weekly chapter of Naruto. It was my gateway anime, like most around my age I would imagine, I started watching the anime when (I believe the Sasuke Retrieval arc) was airing on Toonami on Cartoon Network back in its glory days. I would watch that week to week, then at some point a few years later I discovered the subbed version and how it had been airing some amazing new thing called "Naruto Shippūden" for awhile and I had jumped over to that. Caught up to the latest episode (Orochimaru vs 4-Tailed Naruto) and then discovered the manga and quickly caught up to that. At that point in time the most recent chapter was chapter 439; when Naruto went 8-Tails against Pain. Since that chapter, I have been reading the manga every single week for almost 10 years straight. But that time is now long behind me, and while I have branched out to other anime/manga none of them have recaptured that raw, pure emotion that Naruto gave me.
So here I am. Here to attempt to recapture that spark for this manga by re-reading it in its entirety. BUT, why stop there I say? Just as much as the manga has a special place in my heart, so does this forum—trolls and cancer alike. I could simply re-read the manga and be done with it, but I also wish to attempt to recapture a better time here as well. This is a far different place than it was 7 odd years or so ago when I started. I've said this before in threads, but this forum lost a huge chunk of its spirit the day Tobi's identity was revealed. Which I understand, but I feel is unfair for the forum and for those remaining here who still actually want to attempt to experience what this place had to offer in its prime.
SO, as I read through the manga I shall be reviewing the chapters here. You can expect these reviews to be quite lengthy - use this thread as an indicator of the length/quality of content. I will not be posting reviews chapter to chapter however, as frankly I see that being inefficient. I shall instead post my reviews arc to arc, featuring chapter summaries/reviews for each chapter in the arc as well as my overall thoughts on the arc as a whole. I would hope that whoever takes the time to read them will participate in the discussion as well - giving their thoughts on certain chapters or the arc as a whole, but I don't have any expectations that people will read them or this for that matter. I work grave shifts at a job where I'm allowed to bring my laptop and use it throughout the night. Currently, I will be working 7 days a week for the next week or two, so I'm going to have plenty of free time on my hands and that is why I will be putting the extensive effort into doing this here. If I'm gonna be paid throughout the night, why not get paid to talk about Naruto right?
I don't exactly have set dates for these reviews, but I'll most likely be pumping them out every night or every other night. The first review will be very long as the earlier chapters are quite lengthy, so just be aware of that. Once I start dealing with chapters that become the standard 15-20 pages then each individual chapter review will be significantly shorter and as a result the overall arc review. I hope to have the first review published tonight/tomorrow night depending how you slice it (it's about 8am for me now and my shift is about to end, so I will continue on my next shift). But to give you a taste of what to expect, I will share on this thread my review of the Naruto Pilot Chapter:
If anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions about anything about this - feel free to discuss!
So here I am. Here to attempt to recapture that spark for this manga by re-reading it in its entirety. BUT, why stop there I say? Just as much as the manga has a special place in my heart, so does this forum—trolls and cancer alike. I could simply re-read the manga and be done with it, but I also wish to attempt to recapture a better time here as well. This is a far different place than it was 7 odd years or so ago when I started. I've said this before in threads, but this forum lost a huge chunk of its spirit the day Tobi's identity was revealed. Which I understand, but I feel is unfair for the forum and for those remaining here who still actually want to attempt to experience what this place had to offer in its prime.
SO, as I read through the manga I shall be reviewing the chapters here. You can expect these reviews to be quite lengthy - use this thread as an indicator of the length/quality of content. I will not be posting reviews chapter to chapter however, as frankly I see that being inefficient. I shall instead post my reviews arc to arc, featuring chapter summaries/reviews for each chapter in the arc as well as my overall thoughts on the arc as a whole. I would hope that whoever takes the time to read them will participate in the discussion as well - giving their thoughts on certain chapters or the arc as a whole, but I don't have any expectations that people will read them or this for that matter. I work grave shifts at a job where I'm allowed to bring my laptop and use it throughout the night. Currently, I will be working 7 days a week for the next week or two, so I'm going to have plenty of free time on my hands and that is why I will be putting the extensive effort into doing this here. If I'm gonna be paid throughout the night, why not get paid to talk about Naruto right?
If this sounds interesting to anyone and they get invested enough to stick around for my reviews, great!
If no one ends up reading any of this and it seems I'm just wasting my time, then I guess the base is truly dead and you all suck.
If no one ends up reading any of this and it seems I'm just wasting my time, then I guess the base is truly dead and you all suck.
I don't exactly have set dates for these reviews, but I'll most likely be pumping them out every night or every other night. The first review will be very long as the earlier chapters are quite lengthy, so just be aware of that. Once I start dealing with chapters that become the standard 15-20 pages then each individual chapter review will be significantly shorter and as a result the overall arc review. I hope to have the first review published tonight/tomorrow night depending how you slice it (it's about 8am for me now and my shift is about to end, so I will continue on my next shift). But to give you a taste of what to expect, I will share on this thread my review of the Naruto Pilot Chapter:
*
Chapter 0: Pilot
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review
The pilot opens on Mt. Oinari with main protagonist, Naruto, glaring down into a trap-hole he has used to ensnare a classmate over a dispute the two had at school. The classmate attempts to persuade Naruto to help him out, but when Naruto refuses the classmate bitterly exclaims how disliked Naruto is by everyone—at which point Naruto simply pisses on the kid and calls it a day. Back at a village/tower of sorts, Naruto is scolded by an elder we know simply by the name of “Chief”. We learn that Chief is the only surviving member of a group that battled a Demon Fox with nine-tails, that Naruto is the child of said Demon Fox, and after the battle ended Chief found Naruto (in the form of a baby nine-tailed fox) and decided to raise the creature himself rather than kill it. Chief gives Naruto the task of traveling to the City and to not return without a finding a human friend he trusts.
In the city, Naruto stops to eat at a ramen shop. Before long, a drunken man named Kuroda and an officer, Matsushima, stumble in. Matsushima mentions to Kuroda something about needing a painting by the following day before taking his leave, while Kuroda passes out before paying for or eating his ramen. The ramen-guy tells Naruto he can have Kuroda’s ramen if he takes the drunk home. Naruto gets the man home and is amazed to discover Kuroda’s art studio and meets his assistant Takashi. Takashi shows Naruto around and tells him of Kuroda’s now deceased best-friend, Saburo, who used to be the chairmen of a prestigious art committee but later that honor passed to Kuroda, who has been asked to repair one of Saburo’s paintings. Naruto exclaims the painting reeks to which Takashi mentions the smelly paint used for the painting; an officer barges in to keep Naruto from getting to close to the painting, as it turns out the painting is worth quite a fortune. The commotion wakes Kuroda from his drunk sleep and he and Naruto share more drinks throughout the night. Naruto shows off his transformation ability—transforming into a nearly-naked woman, but with a fox-tail—and explains his background/mission to Kuroda and Takashi. Kuroda warns Naruto only to quit his mission and only trust himself before going back to sleep. Takashi explains to Naruto that while Kuroda and Saburo were indeed best friends when the title of chairmen passed to Kuroda, Saburo became so jealous he stabbed Kuroda and then committed suicide—resulting in Kuroda’s current mindset. Takashi offers to be Naruto’s first friend, to which Naruto awkwardly accepts and then goes to bed himself. Soon after, an unknown figure sneaks into the home and murders Takashi with a pistol, plants it in Naruto’s bag and steals the painting.
The following morning Naruto is awoken by officer Matsushima who arrests Naruto for the murder of Takashi and for the theft of the valuable painting. Naruto pleads innocent, and Kuroda decides to temporarily take Naruto’s place under the condition that Naruto finds the killer. A week goes by and Naruto has no leads; he decides to visit the home of a police officer to ask if the officer witnessed anything suspicious the night of the murder. Once inside the officer’s home, Naruto quickly recognizes the scent of the painting and confronts the officer. Next we jump to the officer reporting to Matsushima that he has killed Naruto and Matsushima reveals that their theft of the painting and framing it on Naruto was now a success. The officer then reveals a fox-tail however, and transforms back into Naruto. Matsushima is shocked, and begins shooting rapidly at Naruto. Naruto then transforms into a mini nine-tailed fox and captures Matsushima with his tails. Naruto retrieves the painting, returns it to Kuroda, the two shake hands and go on their way.
In the city, Naruto stops to eat at a ramen shop. Before long, a drunken man named Kuroda and an officer, Matsushima, stumble in. Matsushima mentions to Kuroda something about needing a painting by the following day before taking his leave, while Kuroda passes out before paying for or eating his ramen. The ramen-guy tells Naruto he can have Kuroda’s ramen if he takes the drunk home. Naruto gets the man home and is amazed to discover Kuroda’s art studio and meets his assistant Takashi. Takashi shows Naruto around and tells him of Kuroda’s now deceased best-friend, Saburo, who used to be the chairmen of a prestigious art committee but later that honor passed to Kuroda, who has been asked to repair one of Saburo’s paintings. Naruto exclaims the painting reeks to which Takashi mentions the smelly paint used for the painting; an officer barges in to keep Naruto from getting to close to the painting, as it turns out the painting is worth quite a fortune. The commotion wakes Kuroda from his drunk sleep and he and Naruto share more drinks throughout the night. Naruto shows off his transformation ability—transforming into a nearly-naked woman, but with a fox-tail—and explains his background/mission to Kuroda and Takashi. Kuroda warns Naruto only to quit his mission and only trust himself before going back to sleep. Takashi explains to Naruto that while Kuroda and Saburo were indeed best friends when the title of chairmen passed to Kuroda, Saburo became so jealous he stabbed Kuroda and then committed suicide—resulting in Kuroda’s current mindset. Takashi offers to be Naruto’s first friend, to which Naruto awkwardly accepts and then goes to bed himself. Soon after, an unknown figure sneaks into the home and murders Takashi with a pistol, plants it in Naruto’s bag and steals the painting.
The following morning Naruto is awoken by officer Matsushima who arrests Naruto for the murder of Takashi and for the theft of the valuable painting. Naruto pleads innocent, and Kuroda decides to temporarily take Naruto’s place under the condition that Naruto finds the killer. A week goes by and Naruto has no leads; he decides to visit the home of a police officer to ask if the officer witnessed anything suspicious the night of the murder. Once inside the officer’s home, Naruto quickly recognizes the scent of the painting and confronts the officer. Next we jump to the officer reporting to Matsushima that he has killed Naruto and Matsushima reveals that their theft of the painting and framing it on Naruto was now a success. The officer then reveals a fox-tail however, and transforms back into Naruto. Matsushima is shocked, and begins shooting rapidly at Naruto. Naruto then transforms into a mini nine-tailed fox and captures Matsushima with his tails. Naruto retrieves the painting, returns it to Kuroda, the two shake hands and go on their way.
Chapter Review
Here’s a little fun-fact: I’ve never actually read the original pilot chapter until this re-read/review project. I found it very interesting to read this chapter having already experienced and immersed myself in the end product. Knowing where the revised manga started and where it would eventually end before reading through this pilot really highlighted a few things for me about it. The biggest thing I noticed that perhaps some may not have, was the fact that while the design of Naruto himself remained for the most part intact in the transition to the manga we all know today, just about everything else in the pilot—artistically—was completely scrapped. Besides the obvious differences (such as the inclusion of modern tech/firearms in the pilot), building structures, landscapes and even character designs (outside of Naruto) feel wildly different in the pilot when compared to Chapter 1 of Naruto. While there are definitely similarities between the two (I’m not trying to suggest these were drawn by different artists) they clearly have distinct art styles from one another.
The pilot chapter has a far more (retrospectively) modern look and feel, with scenery drawn and detailed in a way that presents them as you might have actually seen them in real life. Characters are similarly detailed and I noticed have incredibly complex bodily/facial designs when compared to those in Naruto. To elaborate, the character designs in Naruto are visually unique by being exceedingly simple. Look at virtually any character design in Naruto, specifically how the faces are designed, and you’ll likely start noticing a pattern that looks something roughly like this:
In general, the design format for characters/scenery in Naruto seems to have adopted more of a minimalistic approach; In the pilot chapter however, facial structures, body structures and clothing designs in characters are all pretty varied and very unique to that character. I’m not saying this is a bad thing in Naruto’s case at all, in fact I like the style Kishimoto used in the Naruto manga we all know and love as it’s a setting more suitable to the fantasy-esque art style implemented in the end product—this is simply an observation I made and am incredibly impressed that Kishimoto was able to distinguish the two projects artistically to the extent that he did, as a fellow artist I know just how hard it is to discover your own unique art style let alone creating multiple unique styles.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable self-contained pilot chapter that I feel doesn’t get the recognition it deserves for launching Naruto as we know it.
The pilot chapter has a far more (retrospectively) modern look and feel, with scenery drawn and detailed in a way that presents them as you might have actually seen them in real life. Characters are similarly detailed and I noticed have incredibly complex bodily/facial designs when compared to those in Naruto. To elaborate, the character designs in Naruto are visually unique by being exceedingly simple. Look at virtually any character design in Naruto, specifically how the faces are designed, and you’ll likely start noticing a pattern that looks something roughly like this:
Head = simple, smooth shape(s)
Hair = simple, typically undetailed shape/form
Facial Features = relatively simple/similar eyes, nose, mouth
“Unique” Feature = headband/scar/tattoo/etc.
Hair = simple, typically undetailed shape/form
Facial Features = relatively simple/similar eyes, nose, mouth
“Unique” Feature = headband/scar/tattoo/etc.
In general, the design format for characters/scenery in Naruto seems to have adopted more of a minimalistic approach; In the pilot chapter however, facial structures, body structures and clothing designs in characters are all pretty varied and very unique to that character. I’m not saying this is a bad thing in Naruto’s case at all, in fact I like the style Kishimoto used in the Naruto manga we all know and love as it’s a setting more suitable to the fantasy-esque art style implemented in the end product—this is simply an observation I made and am incredibly impressed that Kishimoto was able to distinguish the two projects artistically to the extent that he did, as a fellow artist I know just how hard it is to discover your own unique art style let alone creating multiple unique styles.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable self-contained pilot chapter that I feel doesn’t get the recognition it deserves for launching Naruto as we know it.
If anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions about anything about this - feel free to discuss!
