Things I Love About Naruto
Nov. 29th, 2022 08:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jemerylMy partner and I finished watching the Naruto Ocean Cut! Yes, all 125 hours of it. It is DEEPLY flawed in many ways and notorious for it, but this post is about the stuff I love, why it continues to be one of my faves and why I'll absolutely rewatch it as a background/comfort show.
I met her a few months before the pandemic kicked off. During that first lockdown we spent a lot of time bonding online, and at one point she asked me if I have a comfort show I always go back to. I said Naruto, she said "OMG THAT SHOW WAS SO FORMATIVE FOR ME" and thus we have spent many (MANY) hours watching Naruto together, usually in the background, bitching about various aspects of the show and discussing how we'd fix it/make it better/give Sakura the story she deserves/etc.
If you want to watch Naruto, the Ocean Cut is the way to do it. You can find out about that here, and if you want the torrent, 'DON'T' ask me because I 'WON'T' send it to you. It cuts out so much filler, overlong pauses, and gives a huge boost to the pacing of the show. I was shocked that even the notoriously draggy Tenchi Bridge Arc became quite enjoyable, not the best, but there's tension now. He made some excellent editorial decisions and the process is quite fascinating too. There's no going back to the serialised show after this, or even Naruto Kai, which is the cut-to-manga version that unfortunately retains the manga's flaws and leaves out some of the GOOD filler. I would only rewatch up until season 13(the war arc x.x) but that's because imo it goes sharply downhill, and there's nothing the cut can do about that.
I'm sure his whole thing of growing up suffering awful loneliness and wanting to be acknowledged by others is super relatable for a lot of people. His backstory is actually super tragic in just how neglected he was, and he's such a plucky dumbass it's easy to root for him. During the course of the show he becomes so absurdly powerful compared to how he was at the start, that the payoff is genuinely satisfying.
I love the dub, I think there's a lot of excellent voices and performances. Just listen back to how Gaara's VA puts their whole pussy into screaming and chewing the furniture. Maile Flanagan does an amazing job as Naruto, even down to the way she ages his voice up appropriately in between time skips, which I think is masterful. Another fave is Tsunade who has an excellent growl to her voice and some raw lines (I'm gay), Sakura's VA does some great work too, and Might Guy is a joy to listen to whenever he appears.
The OG Naruto music seriously slaps, especially the fight music, which is when you know shit gets real. It's also got some incredible range. While the Shippuden music isn't as iconic to me it definitely has its highlights.
THEY'RE COOL OKAY I STAND BY THEM AND I WILL PUT ALL MY HOT GIRLS IN THEM THEY DESERVE IT. SORRY YOU CAN'T UNSEE THAT NOW
Obviously the classic ones like Sasuke vs Orochimaru, Rock Lee vs Gaara, Naruto vs. Neji are all in there. My personal favourite from OG Naruto is because it sums up his character arc so beautifully and his transformation from being a huge jerk and a bully with a chip on his shoulder, to being a guy you can count on. Also when his headband gets torn off and the end and his amazing long flowing hair comes out I'm like Kishimoto PLEASE. I love that you can draw a hot boy but can you stop transmuting your misogyny into homoeroticism.
Sakura got done SO FUCKING DIRTY in this series but in this fight she really shines. It's the first 'proper' fight in the series, it outshines Naruto+Kakashi vs. Deidara which is happening more or less concurrently and she gets the spotlight against an overpowered villain. Great job Sakura, you deserved better, but this fight will always stick with me.
Asuma getting jobbed goes so well actually, and it leads to a wonderful bit of Shikamaru character development and action, with some cool jutsu developments, cool fights, and Kakashi also getting to be a badass for awhile there before Naruto has to swoop in to save the day. The Naruto training arc going on in the background is also very satisfying and I enjoy the whole change in chakra nature/form magic system building. Also THANK YOU for giving us NO BACKSTORY about these awful villains, sometimes I just want a morally simple jerk to commit crimes and get taken down by the heroes in a satisfying way.
Jiraiya getting jobbed goes SO WELL ACTUALLY, and going back to Naruto's backstory and his bond with Jiraiya, the whole thing with that double ice cream, I genuinely find it so sad. The training where Naruto inherits Jiraiya's sage mode and the outcome of that is super cool, Pain fucking ANNIHILATING the village is super cool, and we get the payoff of seeing what happens when Naruto loses control and gives in to the nine tailed fox because all is lost – he's pushed to the brink, there's no victory in sight and he wants to protect the people he cares about. In terms of the pacing of the entire show and the tension, I'd say this is where the whole show peaks.
This is where like, you know what, Sasuke you ARE right and the system is broken and needs to be torn down because this shit is FUCKED UP. This fight stands out because it's Sasuke taking revenge on the guy who's basically responsible for all of his misery, which is satisfying, and it also shows imo the perfect balance between his overpowered Sharingan abilities, his plethora of other cool jutsu, and his quick thinking, tactical and strategic smarts. Sasuke is actually a great character who didn't get the treatment he deserved and I will die on that hill.
HINATA IS CUTE. Reblog, you agree.
KILLER BEE IS AWESOME. Yes, probably racist of Kishimoto to make a black character who always speaks in rap, but I love the guy and he kicks Sasuke's ass so what's not to like
I met her a few months before the pandemic kicked off. During that first lockdown we spent a lot of time bonding online, and at one point she asked me if I have a comfort show I always go back to. I said Naruto, she said "OMG THAT SHOW WAS SO FORMATIVE FOR ME" and thus we have spent many (MANY) hours watching Naruto together, usually in the background, bitching about various aspects of the show and discussing how we'd fix it/make it better/give Sakura the story she deserves/etc.
If you want to watch Naruto, the Ocean Cut is the way to do it. You can find out about that here, and if you want the torrent, 'DON'T' ask me because I 'WON'T' send it to you. It cuts out so much filler, overlong pauses, and gives a huge boost to the pacing of the show. I was shocked that even the notoriously draggy Tenchi Bridge Arc became quite enjoyable, not the best, but there's tension now. He made some excellent editorial decisions and the process is quite fascinating too. There's no going back to the serialised show after this, or even Naruto Kai, which is the cut-to-manga version that unfortunately retains the manga's flaws and leaves out some of the GOOD filler. I would only rewatch up until season 13(the war arc x.x) but that's because imo it goes sharply downhill, and there's nothing the cut can do about that.
I'm sure his whole thing of growing up suffering awful loneliness and wanting to be acknowledged by others is super relatable for a lot of people. His backstory is actually super tragic in just how neglected he was, and he's such a plucky dumbass it's easy to root for him. During the course of the show he becomes so absurdly powerful compared to how he was at the start, that the payoff is genuinely satisfying.
I love the dub, I think there's a lot of excellent voices and performances. Just listen back to how Gaara's VA puts their whole pussy into screaming and chewing the furniture. Maile Flanagan does an amazing job as Naruto, even down to the way she ages his voice up appropriately in between time skips, which I think is masterful. Another fave is Tsunade who has an excellent growl to her voice and some raw lines (I'm gay), Sakura's VA does some great work too, and Might Guy is a joy to listen to whenever he appears.
The OG Naruto music seriously slaps, especially the fight music, which is when you know shit gets real. It's also got some incredible range. While the Shippuden music isn't as iconic to me it definitely has its highlights.
THEY'RE COOL OKAY I STAND BY THEM AND I WILL PUT ALL MY HOT GIRLS IN THEM THEY DESERVE IT. SORRY YOU CAN'T UNSEE THAT NOW
Obviously the classic ones like Sasuke vs Orochimaru, Rock Lee vs Gaara, Naruto vs. Neji are all in there. My personal favourite from OG Naruto is because it sums up his character arc so beautifully and his transformation from being a huge jerk and a bully with a chip on his shoulder, to being a guy you can count on. Also when his headband gets torn off and the end and his amazing long flowing hair comes out I'm like Kishimoto PLEASE. I love that you can draw a hot boy but can you stop transmuting your misogyny into homoeroticism.
Sakura got done SO FUCKING DIRTY in this series but in this fight she really shines. It's the first 'proper' fight in the series, it outshines Naruto+Kakashi vs. Deidara which is happening more or less concurrently and she gets the spotlight against an overpowered villain. Great job Sakura, you deserved better, but this fight will always stick with me.
Asuma getting jobbed goes so well actually, and it leads to a wonderful bit of Shikamaru character development and action, with some cool jutsu developments, cool fights, and Kakashi also getting to be a badass for awhile there before Naruto has to swoop in to save the day. The Naruto training arc going on in the background is also very satisfying and I enjoy the whole change in chakra nature/form magic system building. Also THANK YOU for giving us NO BACKSTORY about these awful villains, sometimes I just want a morally simple jerk to commit crimes and get taken down by the heroes in a satisfying way.
Jiraiya getting jobbed goes SO WELL ACTUALLY, and going back to Naruto's backstory and his bond with Jiraiya, the whole thing with that double ice cream, I genuinely find it so sad. The training where Naruto inherits Jiraiya's sage mode and the outcome of that is super cool, Pain fucking ANNIHILATING the village is super cool, and we get the payoff of seeing what happens when Naruto loses control and gives in to the nine tailed fox because all is lost – he's pushed to the brink, there's no victory in sight and he wants to protect the people he cares about. In terms of the pacing of the entire show and the tension, I'd say this is where the whole show peaks.
This is where like, you know what, Sasuke you ARE right and the system is broken and needs to be torn down because this shit is FUCKED UP. This fight stands out because it's Sasuke taking revenge on the guy who's basically responsible for all of his misery, which is satisfying, and it also shows imo the perfect balance between his overpowered Sharingan abilities, his plethora of other cool jutsu, and his quick thinking, tactical and strategic smarts. Sasuke is actually a great character who didn't get the treatment he deserved and I will die on that hill.
HINATA IS CUTE. Reblog, you agree.
KILLER BEE IS AWESOME. Yes, probably racist of Kishimoto to make a black character who always speaks in rap, but I love the guy and he kicks Sasuke's ass so what's not to like