2d-life;

I recently saw a wonderful video analysis on Naruto.  This article is a tribute and response to that video .  The video especially focusses on Naruto's ability to convince people, which he calls "Talk-no-jutsu".  This is a parody of the way techniques are named in Naruto - Jutsu in Japanese means technique and no is a Japanese proposition.  I was extremely impressed by his analysis and it helped clarify a lot of things to me.  For example, I always hated the uselessness of Naruto in Gaara arc. The extended scenes of Naruto chasing Deidara crying "Gaara o kaese" (return Gaara) were irritating. I still think it is irritating. But, he wonderfully explained how it makes sense in the greater scheme of things.  However, there are parts in it where I have slight disagreements with him.  My major disagreement is with his claim that "Naruto's talk-no-jutsu failed" during the Sasuke retrieval arc.  In this post, I will explain why it should ...

Naruto is an anime with many lessons - both direct and indirect. Among the direct lessons, namely advice, my favourite is Ino's advice to Sakura. Simple yet powerful. And of great significance in our society. People are often ashamed about some of their attributes - colour, build, hair, etc. And they try to hide them. In this process, they often get ridiculed even more. Why? Becuase, you are implicitly telling that you are ashamed of it. You are giving them the stick to beat you. Afraid that people will tease her, Sakura hides her big forehead. Ino advises sakura to stop this. She urges her to proudly display her forehead instead and gifts a ribbon to do so. And, Sakura (cherry blossoms) starts to bloom.

For me, the saddest death in Naruto, is undoubtedly, Yashamaru's death. Let me say a few words about why I think so. For me death by itself is not sad. I would in fact say that death is a blessing for the one who is dying. It is sad for those who are left behind. From that perspective I think Yashamaru's death is the saddest. Yashamaru was the only comforting figure in the life of Gaara. The moment it is revealed that the assassin who tried to kill him was that same Yashamaru was heart breaking. The way Gaara cries "Yashamaru.." still resonates in my mind. Loneliness is one of the central themes of the anime. And, that scene captures it so magnificently. One of the most touching moments in the anime. There are several other deaths for which I shed a lot of tears. Like the deaths of Haku or Zabuza or Jiraiya or Obito. But they truly shine through their deaths. As Jiraiya himself says "The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives but how h...

I am a huge fan of anime and I have watched several anime. However, no matter how many anime I watch, Naruto manages to remain my favourite. No anime could emote as much as Naruto - it makes me cry, it gives me goosebumps, it makes me laugh and so much more - and it manages to do that every time I re-watch Naruto. What is most surprising is that, there are scenes which made me genuinely scared. I was afraid what will happen to the characters I love, even though it is obvious that nothing will happen to them. For example, Naruto's and Sasuke's first confrontation with Orochimaru at Shi-no-mori (forest of death) is so scary. And not just this fight, there are so many fights where you feel that fear. I quoted this example, because this fight scared me the most. I don't remember getting scared while watching other anime. Anime in general are good at making you cry or give you adrenaline rush, but this is unique to Naruto. There are anime which has made me cry as mu...