Naruto!!

More than 200 episodes later, probably amounting to some 100 hours, i feel I owe a few words to my latest obsession – Naruto, the anime series. A good friend of mine has used the word “Narutard” on me (it would have been hurtful if not also used with a feeling of endearment), I have not felt any great urge to spend time with people in general (only very close male friends fall outside of this... I shall talk about friends and gender in another post) when I could just go home and watch another ten episodes of Naruto at a go... In the meantime, my reading has suffered. Melacholy Whores lies untouched, a colleague's copy of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises is neglected, while a Japanese for Dummies remains in its cellophane wrap weeks after it was purchased on impulse without a discount.

I think the Naruto series has enough young fans that another glowing review is not really necessary. At the same time, I feel I must give my two cents' worth, so that perhaps those who've already written it off as another piece of juvenile drivel in the mould of One Piece (which is, from episodes I have endured, rubbish), might give it a try.

We've all seen ninjas on the big screen or comic books – these mysterious, cunning warriors who fight from the shadows, running rings around their samurai foe who know more about tea ceremony, martial ettiquette and the Bushido warrior spirit than actually wielding their ornate swords; masked men and women who use a dizzying array of techniques and weapons to fulfil their myriad roles as spies, instigators, saboteurs, and assassins... But bright-eyed ninja brats?! Kawaii!!!

I love the way the young ninjas in Naruto are drawn and animated; how they laugh and play, their youthful resolve in the face of unreal odds; how they throw darts with abandon, zip around with both hands stretched backwards, and how, in all activities from fighting, slurping ramen, to trusting in their friends, they enjoy and fully live the “spring time of youth”. A wonderful, wonderful thing, this.

To be honest, the titular hero, Naruto, is an idiot. Among his peers, he's the first to shoot his mouth off, walk into traps, or else make noisy entrances that are the antithesis to the way of the ninja, who lives and fights on stealth. But, so what? He's a kid! Did I expect his character to be wise? That would be unrealistic. But Naruto makes up for being a loose canon by demonstrating spunk, courage, spirit and a large-heartedness that will make many adults look inadequate and shame-faced. Because that is what many of us have become: petty, without worthwhile dreams, jaded, dull. Not the kind of people that kids want to grow up to be. In Naruto though, while he is an oaf, there is so much worth in his character that he is able to move, inspire and win over those around him. And it is to the writers' credit that all this is expertly and convincingly played out in a series that is both entertaining and inspiring.

Oh well, enough on Naruto. It's more important to watch it than talk so much about it. My thanks to the people who created this for us all to enjoy. And what fantastic theme songs too... I've got them in my car disc changer. Wonderful stuff.