by Anonymous on February 16th, 2005, 10:48am

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User rating of this review - 3.5 out of 5
Story/Plot - 5 out of 5
Characters - 5 out of 5
Drawing Style - 4 out of 5
Enjoyment - 5 out of 5
Overall - 5 out of 5

Click here for series information

Plot/Story

12 years ago the ninja village of Kohona was attacked by a nine tailed demon fox, causing mass destruction. In a last ditch effort to save his village the Fourth Hokage ("Chief" or "leader") sacrificed himself by sealing the Kyuubi inside a new born child, Naruto. The Hokage meant for the boy to be seen as a hero, but after the Fourth's death most villagers viewed him as if he were the demon itself rather than an innocent vessel sacrificed for the good of the community. A law was passed forbidding the villagers from telling the younger generation (Naruto included) what actually happened to the Kyuubi after it's defeat. So Naruto grew up hated and alone without ever knowing why and his generation, though ignorant of his identity, learned to hate the wayward orphan as much as their parents did.

The manga opens 12 years later, introducing the prankster Naruto, now a student in ninja school, decimating Kohona's most valued public monument in what is most likely a desperate bid for attention. It follows him as he tries to realize his dream: to become the next Hokage (strongest ninja in the village) and make the villagers acknowledge him. Of course, what good is a budding ninja without a perverted sensei and two border-line hostile teammates (one a broody rival, the other an unrequited love interest) ?

It goes on from there, obviously, but that covers... maybe the first chapter. Fast paced and full of real, engaging characters, this story will draw you in and keep you glued for hours

Characters

Uzumaki Naruto- 12 year old trouble maker and worst ninja in his graduating class. He's the class clown and, of course, our protagonist: a loud, obnoxious, and stubborn orphan who smiles in spite of everything. His determination is one of his most defining characteristics, as is his unhealthy obsession with Ramen and rivalry with his teammate Uchiha Sasuke. Oh, and his specialty attack? "Sexy no Jutsu"

Uchiha Sasuke- 12 year old heartthrob and overall the best ninja from his graduating class. Also a loner, but unlike Naruto, it's by his own volition. The sole survivor of a massacre that whipped out his entire clan 5 years ago, Sasuke's dream is to become powerful enough to kill 'that' man... and nothing will get in his way (even friends).

Haruno Sakura- The smartest girl in her graduating class, but lacking any martial skills, Sakura is (much to her dismay) the object of Naruto's affections while Sasuke is similarly the unwilling object of hers. Equipped with an 'Inner Sakura' she's often left to mediate between her two bickering teammates (and almost always takes out her frustrations on Naruto... violently).

Hatake Kakashi- As Team 3's enigmatic and perverted sensei, he makes up the last of the 4 MAIN characters, though we never see his entire face. A jounin (member of the elite ninja class), he's charged with the difficult task of monitoring their progress. He does however, still manage to get in a little reading time. His pornographic book "Icha Icha Paradise" is almost always in hand.

There are far too many other characters to go into detail here, and most aren't properly introduced until after the first arch. They are all, however, engaging and enjoyable characters (even the bastards... I mean villains)

Drawing Style

Choppy but good. The character designs are well done, each is distinctive and unique, but it's not overly realistic. The drawing style it's not 'pretty' like a lot of shoujo manga is, and the background isn't nearly as detailed as in Hikaru no Go, for example. But you definitely get a feel for Naruto's world, and honestly the characters and story are so damn good you wouldn't be looking at the minute detail on the foliage much anyway, even if it was there.

Enjoyment

Definitely enjoyable. Creative, fast paced, and... well, funny, Naruto is probably my favorite manga series. Even after 247 chapters (so far) it still has tons to offer, even angst (well done angst to be specific). In short, it's amazing!

Overall

Filled with action, humor, and drama Naruto has pretty much everything you could possibly want in a manga. It's definitely worth a look.

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