I created this account just so I can review this show, because wow wow wow was it just mind blowing. I originally watched this when I was 9 or 10 so all I thought was "Oh cool, ninjas fighting!" without even grasping everything the show was getting at, which is now so glaringly obvious as I re-watched it.
First off, just talking about the way the show looks and is drawn, is something I have always loved. The characters are drawn very simply, but the attention to detail on the backdrop and scenery make the characters pop, and creates a stunning setting. The time and effort spent on Naruto: Shippuden as well as the energy spent to give the show its own art style is something that has always made the show stick out in my memory.
Next, plot development. I believe that whom ever dreamt up this show was a truly excellent story writer who understood what makes a story splendid, all the while conveying the true meaning of the show just a shade behind the plot. the story-line has just enough consistency to ensure character predictability that gives them personality, however, the plot itself is made in such a manner that it remains unpredictable enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. It is well developed with an understanding of human emotion and an excellent story-arc.
As for the themes in the show, and the development of the characters, I have no words other than it is complete and utter perfection. The themes are obvious enough to be well iterated, but not to the point where I'm tired of hearing it. Naruto goes very in depth with understanding one's purpose and place in life, questioning things like: If you don't have a purpose or reason to exist, do you really exist? Is it okay to be used and discarded as needed if it fills up that solitude of purposelessness? Can all people truly understand each other ever? Is the only manner for true understanding to have felt the same pain? How does one prevent themselves from just breeding more hatred after that? The list just goes on and on. It just really makes you sit back and think. And, on top of all that, it displays these themes so well through the characters. Being able to watch all the way from the first Naruto, in which Naruto is about 10 all the way to the end of Shippuden is just mind blowing. It gives you the time to understand and enjoy growing up with Naruto and all his friends.(SPOILERS BEYOND HERE) You get to watch him mature and grow from the young, hyperactive, knucklehead who couldn't stop spouting about being Hokage and was shorter than his teammates, all the way to being the hero of the world, who brought peace to everyone by allying all the nations and bearing the burden of all their hatred, who's about to get married to the love of his life.
For perhaps the most important part, I want to talk about the "villains" of the show all throughout. I know that villains are rarely the subject of what makes something amazing, but the villains are truly what brings the whole show together. Unlike many shows out there, both kids and adult shows alike, these villains are not senseless criminals who just desire money, power or fame. Instead it's their motives that help draw the themes that makes Naruto: Shippuden what it is. Most of the antagonists are people who are genuinely in pain, doing what they believe is best to save everyone else from feeling what they felt. Take for example Obito. He had lost everything he had ever cared about and was led to believe that there was nothing left in this world other than hell, no happiness, and no light. He believed everyone else's life would lead them to the exact place he was in then. So, he tried to put the whole world under a genjutsu to save them from their reality, but he was actually just trying to save himself from having to accept reality and the truth. That is the sincere beauty of the show, that there is no villain without meaningful purpose, and they believe they are just saving everyone.
Lastly, I want to talk about Naruto himself. He is by far the most wonderful character in the whole show. He is a successful protagonist while still remaining like a human that could exist when it comes to his personality. He has utmost faith in himself and his ability to rid the world from its cycle of hate, but, he still has breakdowns where he needs help and support, and at one point, even a panic attack, because he felt like the whole world and all his problems were crashing down on him. Watching his character grow and mature makes me sit and wonder if I'm doing all I could be doing with my given time, and if I could perhaps be working harder to improve myself and the lives of those around me, that how moved I am by this show. Please please please do watch it, and watch from the original Naruto all the way through to Shippuden. It is both enjoyable and highly moving, as well as a great show to just binge.
First off, just talking about the way the show looks and is drawn, is something I have always loved. The characters are drawn very simply, but the attention to detail on the backdrop and scenery make the characters pop, and creates a stunning setting. The time and effort spent on Naruto: Shippuden as well as the energy spent to give the show its own art style is something that has always made the show stick out in my memory.
Next, plot development. I believe that whom ever dreamt up this show was a truly excellent story writer who understood what makes a story splendid, all the while conveying the true meaning of the show just a shade behind the plot. the story-line has just enough consistency to ensure character predictability that gives them personality, however, the plot itself is made in such a manner that it remains unpredictable enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. It is well developed with an understanding of human emotion and an excellent story-arc.
As for the themes in the show, and the development of the characters, I have no words other than it is complete and utter perfection. The themes are obvious enough to be well iterated, but not to the point where I'm tired of hearing it. Naruto goes very in depth with understanding one's purpose and place in life, questioning things like: If you don't have a purpose or reason to exist, do you really exist? Is it okay to be used and discarded as needed if it fills up that solitude of purposelessness? Can all people truly understand each other ever? Is the only manner for true understanding to have felt the same pain? How does one prevent themselves from just breeding more hatred after that? The list just goes on and on. It just really makes you sit back and think. And, on top of all that, it displays these themes so well through the characters. Being able to watch all the way from the first Naruto, in which Naruto is about 10 all the way to the end of Shippuden is just mind blowing. It gives you the time to understand and enjoy growing up with Naruto and all his friends.(SPOILERS BEYOND HERE) You get to watch him mature and grow from the young, hyperactive, knucklehead who couldn't stop spouting about being Hokage and was shorter than his teammates, all the way to being the hero of the world, who brought peace to everyone by allying all the nations and bearing the burden of all their hatred, who's about to get married to the love of his life.
For perhaps the most important part, I want to talk about the "villains" of the show all throughout. I know that villains are rarely the subject of what makes something amazing, but the villains are truly what brings the whole show together. Unlike many shows out there, both kids and adult shows alike, these villains are not senseless criminals who just desire money, power or fame. Instead it's their motives that help draw the themes that makes Naruto: Shippuden what it is. Most of the antagonists are people who are genuinely in pain, doing what they believe is best to save everyone else from feeling what they felt. Take for example Obito. He had lost everything he had ever cared about and was led to believe that there was nothing left in this world other than hell, no happiness, and no light. He believed everyone else's life would lead them to the exact place he was in then. So, he tried to put the whole world under a genjutsu to save them from their reality, but he was actually just trying to save himself from having to accept reality and the truth. That is the sincere beauty of the show, that there is no villain without meaningful purpose, and they believe they are just saving everyone.
Lastly, I want to talk about Naruto himself. He is by far the most wonderful character in the whole show. He is a successful protagonist while still remaining like a human that could exist when it comes to his personality. He has utmost faith in himself and his ability to rid the world from its cycle of hate, but, he still has breakdowns where he needs help and support, and at one point, even a panic attack, because he felt like the whole world and all his problems were crashing down on him. Watching his character grow and mature makes me sit and wonder if I'm doing all I could be doing with my given time, and if I could perhaps be working harder to improve myself and the lives of those around me, that how moved I am by this show. Please please please do watch it, and watch from the original Naruto all the way through to Shippuden. It is both enjoyable and highly moving, as well as a great show to just binge.