Naruto is, in my opinion, a kind of a sad thing to see. I never used to give it much thought, until I sat down once and started watching some episodes. I was instantly pulled in...something about the way in which the points of view of both Naruto & friends and the adults who trained them were simultaneously conveyed was, to me, extremely interesting. Also, I thought the chakra training sessions were kinda cool.

Unfortunately, nowadays I cannot for the life of me find an episode of Naruto that is even remotely interesting. I admit I haven't seen the show from beginning to end, but I watched enough episodes to be able to know who the characters were and what was going on. I don't know what part of the series I saw originally, but every time I try to watch it now, I am reminded that the majority of the Naruto series is the most dried up, overproduced, stretched out anime I have ever seen. Let me describe to you a typical episode of Naruto:

Two characters stand facing one another in a clearing, such as an arena. Eventually they begin to fight.

That's it. That's the ENTIRE EPISODE. You spend twenty-five minutes watching two characters literally stand there, unmoving, occasionally spouting off typical anime remarks at one another, or changing their expressions as they phase in and out of flashbacks to previous episodes in which they did exactly the same thing. Then, FINALLY, one of the characters decides he has been insulted enough to start doing something, and throws himself through the air at his opponent. Then...."On the next episode of Naruto..." and the show's over.

I have seen a single duel between characters--and I'm not exaggerating here--get stretched out over the course of THREE EPISODES. It may have even been a little longer. And the worst part of it was, they probably only actually met each other in combat maybe four times. The rest of the time was spent resuming their positions on opposite sides of the arena and having more flashbacks. Mind you, the flashbacks usually just recall previous episodes. I can't think of a better example of a series that takes its story and draws it out as long as it possibly can, just to increase the number of episodes and thus the amount of airtime it can have. There is simply NO WAY that the creators of Naruto could make their series any more drawn out. After recycling overused dialogue, familiar character disputes, and even their own animated material from previous episodes, they have truly done everything in their power to make Naruto the mind-numbing anaesthetic of the anime world.

Bleh...having said all that, I feel inclined to give it one, maybe one and a half stars...but, for reasons unknown to me and likely to remain unknown in the grand course of cosmic time, I am giving Naruto the benefit of a doubt and raising it to two stars. It may be that some part of my memory insists there was something about the story that interested me, once, long ago. I don't know if this memory is something that you or even I should trust, but if you do intend to watch Naruto, I must warn you, you may suddenly find yourself exposed to dangerous levels of boredom.

In Japan, or so I'm told, Naruto is a name as big as Dragon Ball Z. Over here in the U.S., I can't exactly pick out what's inherently right or wrong about it. Maybe it's the dub, or maybe it's the story, but nothing about it seems particularly authentic. It doesn't roll off your tongue or make you sit up and take notice like Inuyasha, Neon Genesis Evangelion, or Full Metal Alchemist. If it's trying to be a lighter fare, it's not as fun as One Piece. On the other hand, it's nowhere near as annoying as Dragon Ball Z. It just falls into all the typical traps most animes follow. You've got hyperactive fighting and overblown supernatural powers. But at least the fighting is amusing to watch and the powers have some logic to it, with talk about "chakra", the user's energy, and specific hand signs for different effects. You've also got a modest amount of annoying "fight yak", but nowhere near as overdone as DBZ, and "ninja babble". If you're not savvy on the universe of this show, you'll probably get confused. If you don't get bored first. The trouble is that Naruto himself, the main character, is severely bland and underdeveloped. All the supporting characters have more color than him. It also doesn't help that he's your typical "I'm a hero with an attitude" type.