I’ve been on a major anime and manga binge for the past few months, almost literally burning my paycheck in order to sate my desire for Japanese goodies. Many would label me a Japanophile for this, but that’s really steering this in a completely different direction than the one it’s meant to be going in.
Around New Year’s, apparently a good friend of mine got interested in the series Naruto. Anyone who is familiar with some anime or manga knows that Naruto is, in fact, one of the most watched/read series. It’s also easy to make an observation that people will either love the show or hate the show, after giving it a chance. Some people hate it simply on principle because, well, so many people like it.
I can’t really say I have a stand on it either way since I’ve never watched it. I do admit, although somewhat hesitantly, that I followed the group mentality of “OMG DIS SHOW SUX CAUSE ITZ GOT A BIG FAN-BASE”. It was, at that point, a natural reaction to make fun of the aforementioned friend when he arrived at our New Year’s bash with a Naruto headband on, announcing himself by saying something to the tune of, “Did someone order a ninja?” Really though, what does Naruto do that is such a heinous crime against all that is good Japanese animation that other shows have not been, in some way or another, guilty of at least once?
Let’s begin with the first and most noteworthy comparison: Naruto = Dragonball Z. Although this is not something I’m quick to admit to, I did watch Dragonball Z just about every day after school on Toonami. Why? Well, for starters, it was some of the only good programming Cartoon Network had to offer, but it had to do with the fact that it was a good show. No, it was not renowned for its clever dialogue and thought-provoking storylines (which often consisted of Angry Alien/Demon/Monster A is wrecking Some Specific Place so we’re going to groan and growl at it for the duration of the story arc, pausing periodically to fit in some shocked expressions) but it was good for one thing: it apparently kept a lot of viewers. How can I say this?
Funimation may have their moments of stupidity, I’m sure, but they wouldn’t be selling another round of the DVDs, digitally remastered or whatever the hell this batch is, for the sake of wasting money and killing time. Dragonball Z was not the best show in the world but it attracted a fairly large audience that stuck with it. I imagine the same can be said for Naruto, which I have heard will spend several episodes in a similar fashion to Dragonball Z.
There’s one key flaw to people’s complaints pertaining to Naruto, that I’ve noticed, and this applies specifically to the gripe that Naruto is far too generic. Ninjas with special powers beating the hell out of one another, occasionally with something which holds a similar appearance to a plot. Again, keep in mind that statements like those are me being an ass to prove a point and they are not to be misconstrued as me actually attacking the show.
It’s possible to take just about every anime and break it down to the point where it fits into one of a few very basic molds. Example: Generic Hero is living a fairly normal life, although he/she does not feel as though he/she fits in with the world around him for some reason. He/she is different and possibly shunned for being unique. One day an event, possibly involving another person, a supernatural being or a talking inaminate object, will have a radical impact upon Generic Hero’s life, the results of which he/she will never be able to escape. This event may have some traumatic effect on the hero, or it may simply inspire them, but regardles he/she will go on a journey to accomplish some goal. Generic Hero will almost always invariably wind up with at least several traveling companions. The most common of these consist of the badass with a heart of gold, the Generic Hero’s female companion with obscenely exaggerated characteristics, the super-genius, the almost-unexpected loner and a host of others. Remove and add plot devices as necessary, such as surprise villains, minor characters and poorly conceived story arcs unrelated to the overall plot.
Or, another favorite one of mine goes something like this…Expensive Merchandising Ploy Games, Inc, has made a new and interesting collectible game. The main character of the story will often be caring, adventurous and determined to be the very best at whatever he or she does. The creator of the game will almost always be featured at least once in the series and shown to be anywhere from eccentric to bat-shit insane and almost always have some importance to the overall plot. Things become infinitely crazier when it turns out that the game that everyone has been enjoying was derived from some ancient/alien/demonic form of entertainment that usually will involve gambling something of importance to those involved. More often than not, it was the person’s soul. At some point or another in the story, the game will escalate to a point where the hero’s skills are essential to the survival of the world/galaxy/universe.
The most obvious titles to go with each example would be Bleach and YuGiOh (or Duel Masters or Beyblade, really…This example’s a bit limited), respectively. I am, by no means, attacking Bleach or YuGiOh, either. The reason why so many shows follow those formulas is because they work. It’s only natural for people to go ahead and make more shows just like the ones that are already out, tweaking it a little bit so it’s not identical to the last version.
Provided, for the sake of a tangent, I must admit that I have not yet to hear about anything remotely close to Death Note in terms of the overall story. Consider this a shameless plug before I got ahead and move on.
Really, I suppose my biggest gripe on this subject matter is how people evaluate and judge something without really knowing what they’re judging. I’m not saying it’s necessary to sit down and watch the whole series of Naruto but perhaps it would help to give it a chance. I will confess to being a hypocrite as of this point in time because I haven’t gotten around to watching a whole episode (I think I made a deal with the previously mentioned friend that if he do something for me I’d “endure” an episode of Naruto, but I can’t remember the specifics.) but I intend to give it a shot. Besides, the worst that could happen is I’ll decide that I don’t like the show.
So, in closing, I’d like to really drive this point home: leave the “Narutards,” as we have kindly dubbed them, to their show and don’t bitch so much about it unless you’ve at least given it a chance. There’s always the chance you might accidentally enjoy it.
Side note: I suppose this could compensate for me not writing anything here for far too long, to some degree, but I won’t go that far. I’d also like to point out that this made me realize, again, how geeky I am. XD