Woot. Defense time. <3
@Zephos:
2.Battle of the 3 Sannin.
(nothing was accomplished really, I'm tired of Oro and Kabuto always losing and getting away unscathed)
What, you want them to die right there? Talk about killing the plot. (Half the major plot points revolve around Orochimaru's manipulation of Naruto and Sasuke's feelings.
The Sannin fight brought an awesome battle and Tsunade's resolve was restored. Imo, it was an incredibly badass scene when she took the sword through the chest, kicked Oro in the face, and then proclaimed herself the 5th Hoakge.
3.Shikas team
(inconcievable, who would send 5 rookies to get 4 elite enemies?! "no one else could do it!" bah…..bad exscuse Kishimoto.)
Konoha just foguht A WAR. All Jounin were out and about doing missions.
Tsunade had no idea who came for Sasuke. HELL, NO ONE KNEW SASUKE EVEN HAD ESCORTS!
As far as she knew, Sasuke could've be alone. She said it was "only a possibility" that henchmen would be escorting Sasuke.
And what the hell did she do after Genma and Raidou were defeated after coming home from a mission? SHE IMMEDIATELY SENT word to Suna for reinforcement and had it so that the children of the previous Yondaime Kazekage themselves were sent!! Y'know, one of which being the future Kazekage and a freakin' Jinchuuriki that can level landscapes effortlessly!!!
4. Choji Vs. Fat dude
(cool…...until you find out CHOUJI SURVIVED THE SUICIDE PILL …..AND WAS A-OK!!!!!!)
Yeah, and like Pell proclaiming he'd sacrifice himself for Alabasta, taking a freakin' bomb to the face, and then surviving despite all that drama is any better.
Noticed you didn't even make mention of that.
Dude, it's a Shounen manga. So what if Chouji lived? Kishimoto, like Tite and Oda, doesn't feel it's necessary to kill the characters he loves.
5. Neji Vs. Spiderman
(LOooooong…..overly technical......fights shouldn't feel like techinchal manuals)
God forbid a Shounen manga fight actually has some great tactics and intelligence!! OH NO!!!!
6. 3 fights
( At this point it was clear that not only did the Rookies fight these elite dudes well, but were capable of beating them, flat out "yhea right". Maybe if the 5 sound were also kids it wouldv'e worked…
Here's the part where your making crap up and bitching for the sake of bitching.
Jiroubou, Tayuya, Kidoumaru, and Sakon/Ukon are all freakin' 14!!! Yeah, that's right, they're just as old as Neji and YOUNGER than Temari and Kankurou.
All the Sound 4 are are a bunch of kids Oro picked up from who knows where who showed some potential and happened to survive a 1/10 curse. They're hardly exceptional.
And NOT ONCE did Kiba and Shikamaru show any hope of defeating their opponents. Despite Garouga and all of Kiba's efforts, Sakon/Ukon COMPLETELY outclassed him and Akamaru.
Shikamaru, while he managed to pull of some great intelligence and catch Tayuya and all, WHEN did he ever actually have a real attempt at killing her? His Shadow Neck Bind might've worked, but CS2 completely overpowered him.
Yeah, you know what you're talking about.
7. Kimmaro
( "I'm cool" "I fight you" "I die" "I serve no other purpose whatsoever" the other 4 …yup clearly cannon fodder, no complaints. This fucker was hyped up....and was nothing but a cliche that fought and died and had a vague sob story...)
Kimimaro died for his ideals and helped to create Gaara the character he is today. He reminded him yet again of Uzumaki Naruto and his despite struggle to protect his precious people.
Yes, he existed as nothing more than a cool character that existed to show Lee and Gaara fight one more time before Part 1 ended, but it's not like his existance didn't have a point:
Wouldn't one wonder if Orochimaru ever envyed the power of any other clan other than the Uchiha? Dunno about you, but I'd like to see more powerful clans outside of Konoha. Kimimaro had the perfect taijutsu body and a freakin' sweet ability.
Honestly, I don't see the whole point in bitching abotu Kimi when you're not bringing up 90% of all One Piece side villain who exist for often nothing more than the same thing minus the sob story. Yeah, that's right….Kimimaro's at least way more developed of a character than half the random villains in Shounen manga who exist for the same purpose (stall other characters - give them fights).
8. Drunken Lee
(HhahahahAHA!!! …..... what a waste of paper....and two whole chapters when it was already dragging on for volumes....)
You didn't like Suiken Lee?
Well, that's your opinion, but I must say: remind me to never ask you for comedy suggestions.
9. Sand nin to the rescue
( I remember discussing the new chapters with buds on ShonenJunk….some folks said "Hey Zeph, betcha Gaara and co. will come ta help." "Nah" I said.. "that would be so fanservicey, so lame, so obvious, and also pretty unrealistic. It won't happend, Kishimoto won't sink that low.."
:sad:
Yeah, because coming up with a solution to the Konoha Genin's obvious inferiority to the Sound 5 + playng to the fans is the worst thing in the world, right?
10. Sasuke flashback
(This was a sin. It was a RETREAD, extended retread of the first (and cool) Sasuke flashback seen earlier. It essentially explained most of the stuff surrounding the first flashback.
Well, somehow it was made utterly boring, but worse…. it RUINED Itachi. Instead of being some fucked up Kiriyama type of Sociopath. Hes just a pissed off teen who dosen't like his daddy.
Amazingly the whole thing managed to suck out the emotinal effect of Sasukes clan massacre, the exact opposite thing it was intended for.)
You actually believe Itachi did all those things for what he told Sasuke? Wow, you must have little faith in other manga-ka, huh?
Personally, and maybe I'm giving other manga-ka not named Oda too much credit, I think you've have to be retarded to not notice a real explanation is hidden behind Itachi's actions.
Ever since he joined the Anbu at 11, it was explained that his outlook on life was slowly changing. Obviously, he must've encounted the Third Mangekyou Sharingan user somewhere - and seeing as Itachi is so well versed in the Sharingan knowledge, this third user might've been helping him or telling him what to do.
Then there's always the possibility that the Uchiha clan were planning something. Fugaku was clearly threatening Itachi when he pulled out his Sharingan and made it very clear to him that his "connection to the village" is very useful and that he (Itachi) "must become an Anbu for the sake of the clan."
Honestly, since the Anbu are under the direct command of the Hokage, for all we know, Fugaku and the clan might've been planning to assasinate Sarutobi or gain higher political status in the vilalge.
I mean, why the hell else have a "secret meeting place" ?
11. Super Saiyen combat!
The Godawful fight between Sasuke and Naruto went EXACTLY like this every one of its chapters.
-They fight. One gets the upper hand. So the other powers up.
EXACTLY.
To boot, both of them resemble goddamn Super Saiyens by the end.
I have no problem with this. It's your opinion.
Honestly, I loved this fight because of the emotion behind it and not the actual fight itself. It wasn't a shinobi battle. It was a battle of acknowledgment. And damn, I got teary eyed in the anime version of the final episode (134). I love Kishi's little kid symbolism witht he holding hands.
12. Kakashi Gaiden
We OP fans know our flashbacks, right? A good flashback is made up of raw unhindered characterization, character reaction, suprises, and extends its purpose into the story at current.
Kishimoto can do this. He did a great job with Gaara, Hinata, Neji…
But this was just a long action sequence with a predictable ending.
Heh, your opinion, I guess. Honestly, I'd say, and most Naruto fans would agree, Kakashi Gaiden was the best "flashback" – if you even want to call it that, because it's technically a sidestory since it doesn't interupt an arc -- in the whole damn manga because it was so freakin' interesting.
Yondaime's Hiraishin no Jutsu was sweet, learning about Kakashi's father was interesting as hell, Obito telling off Kakashi and teaching him his future outlook on life was touching + amazingly cool, and I got teary eyed at Obito's final words...
Sooo touching + sad + cool all at once, imo. If animated extremely well, like it should, I might get teary eyed or even cry at this part. It really depends on the music choice, and Naruto has amazing music when used well.
@Sandai:
Man now I see why they call you the King Of Chewouts (Suprises me that your not an AP Editor.)
Heh, I can't say I share your same sense of wonder. He hasn't impressed me.