askerian | Naruto 548

Entry tags:

(click for biggerness)

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee team seven having a lazy summer together eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee best splash page ever eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Okay, i'm easy. >_>;;

I didn't comment in a while because frankly the old Kages interest me as much as ... well, they don't. >__> Goddamnit Kishi KONOHA 11 PLZ. Also I was kinda meh on the idea that Gaara's story was being retconned just so Gaara's dad could come across as a bit less of a douche/repenting somehow. (also the sand taking the shape of his mom... eh. I liked it better when the idea of his mom's spirit being in the sand was his way of coping by inventing someone who cared about him and the automatic defense was really all about shuukaku saving his own hide.)

I must say I was rather happy when Gaara didn't immediately go "oh, okay. I forgive you" but instead made a lot of shocked, very expressive faces. Crying!Gaara = n'awww he looks so YOUNG. *lovesquishes* But that end... >:/ hrrrm. Not sure if want.

AND THEN THERE WAS ITACHI (and nagato okay i'm amused enough by the blind carrying around the invalid that i'm also glad to see him) AND NARUTO MEETS ITACHI AND AAAAAA NO WHY DOES THE CHAPTER END HERE WHYYYYYY NOOOOOOOOOO

I want the next chapter right now. RIGHT NOW.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kishimoto has the worst habit of backpeddling on the nasty grittiness of the ninja world. I mean, he set it up so well! This is a hard life, it kind of sucks, people do bad things to each other because they've lost themselves in it! That was infinitely cooler than this wishy-washy "oh, wait, we have to make everyone /nice/" gig. And it gave Naruto's life goal a lot more weight, when it was obvious that someone /needed/ to make this world a little better.

*goes to write Team 7 threesome fluff to console herself*

Seriously. Now it turns out that in that world everyone is secretly a good person deep down, and all the shittiness that happens is because of MISCOMMUNICATION. Why, if only we had stopped and talked it out! Oh well, once I beat you into the ground you'll be too tired to run off before we finish our fixit heart-to-heart~ frrrgh. If he pulls that shit with Madara I'm going to bite things.

... threesome fluff? *perks up*

Indeed, the Naruto-freaking-novel that has been hounding me all summer is /full/ of threesome fluff. And angst, of course, but lots of fluff and domestic assassin adorableness

*scowls* Now if I can just get the ending hammered out. That's the PITA about this, every other arc has had a major character development payoff in it, but the grand finale is basically one big action scene predicated on Madara being the Big Bad. *sighs* Well, I guess /Kyuubi/ gets some development payoff.

My first reaction when I saw the splash page was looking at Sasuke's mouth and thinking that something would look better in the place of that bottle. ~~Like Naruto.~~ *cough*notaperv*cough*

Yeeeah, he's drinking it a bit weird isn't it. Ohohohohohoho.

I also like the idea of Sakura splashing them. They need to cool down! ~~with skintight wet shirts on!~~

So totally a perv :)

I wonder if Naruto is wearing a fundoshi? *squee*

I didn't comment in a while because frankly the old Kages interest me as much as ... well, they don't.

How can you not like the suave, debonaire second mizukage?!? lol

Also I was kinda meh on the idea that Gaara's story was being retconned just so Gaara's dad could come across as a bit less of a douche/repenting somehow.

I thought it was rather sweet and if it is good enough for Naruto to get awesome!parents then it is good enough for Gaara to get a minor reload, don't you think?

I want the next chapter right now. RIGHT NOW.

This is Kishimoto, so I'd advise cautious optimism. >.>

What I think is that it feels a bit like Kishimoto is wussing out and sanitizing his backstories. The first part of Naruto had some creepy and scary and sad stuff in it. The recent chapters have all been about rewriting history so that no one (apart from Madara and maybe kabuto) is truly Bad, they just have issues understanding each other properly, but everyone is good deep down rly they just can't express it well so if we learn to communicate yay peace and rainbows for everyone! Just hold still for the necessary beating that'll stop you running away while I speechify at you.

At least the Nice!Itachi reveal had some foreshadowing in how Itachi used to act with baby!sasuke before the massacre. Gaara's story was awesome as it was because from a position of total hate and rejection he had managed to drag himself into a position where he was respected and at peace with himself, and his siblings had rebuilt a real familial bond with him. It wasn't necessary for his character arc to hand him "your mom and uncle always loved you, and also i was a dick and i'm super sorry, i should have trusted in you, my son" on a platter. That's cheap, plus a huge case of too little too late. plus it's all over and done with in two chapters and I don't see what kind of repercussions it'll have on the plot, what was the point of dragging it up again apart from lengthening the number of chapters? Meh.

One can argue that's been the formula since the beginning, all the way back when Haku and Zabuza were the villains.

I've been thinking about this for quite a while. And I really, really don't see it as sanitizing. It's making his villains into real people, with twisted and complicated backgrounds. Because they are still villains, still bad guys that need to be taken out. But you can see the trail of how they arrived at their current point.

And really? Gaara's dad is even more of a scumbag than I thought.

Yea. He's *horrible*, he just realized he had been horrible for nothing.

Yes, but in that dance when someone tells you "i realized i was horrible to you" there's this expectation that the next step is the wronged person saying "i forgive you", and if they don't want to forgive and soothe the bad person's (well-earned) guilt it means THEY aren't as noble/awesome/nice as they "should" be and that's maybe not as bad as the initial offense but still a disappointment.

I want Gaara to have a chance to say "I'll need to work real hard and for a long time to forgive you and I'm not even 100% sure I want to bother", but for a shounen manga it wouldn't make him a nuanced character, it would make him a Not Very Nice person. Since that's not going to happen in Shonen and Kishimoto won't explore those emotional nuances and stay with his Gaara Is A Prophet of Naruto Now themes, which makes this sideplot unnecessary for Gaara's character evolution (he's already at the top), I would have prefered it were never brought up. :/

I don't think he's ever going to exactly forgive him (or explicitly not forgive him either), but he does appreciate being inform that neither his mother nor caregiver really hated him, that was all Gaaradad.

I found learning about the circumstances interesting.

In some ways, I agree, it does feel that way especially with respect Danzou (really that guy and Orochimaru got what they deserved). Personally, I've always felt very sad about Gaara, so I suppose I may be biased when it came to having him seek some closure. At least it answers a minor question that I've always had, which is why he could still manipulate sand without Ichibi. But I suppose it isn't really all that relevant to the plot.

I think your first part tends to hit on a deep philosophical question on the nature of good and evil. From what I can tell, the series is mostly based on Buddhist mysticism with a touch of Onmyoudou. Perhaps that's why it feels like that? I know that Buddhism stresses that enlightenment is the key to living a righteous life (not that Naruto has much wisdom to impart >.>). I agree that savior!Naruto gets a bit annoying, but in a way, what should happen? He's the hero, he's got to kick some butt. Yet, I continue to believe that his isn't able to save everyone. Jiraiya and Konan believed in him, but they still died. I dunno, I think I'd rather him stay the way he is. Would it better for him to just rip through his enemies with no second thoughts? Or perhaps if he just gave up on trying to save everyone? If he wasn't that way, I don't think he'd still be trying so hard with Sasuke. A Naruto like that reminds me of those awful super!Naruto and dark!Naruto fanfics written by the basement-dwelling straight fanboys, where all the chars they don't like are ruthlessly dispatched with or even tortured. Ah, maybe your right. I really am not thrilled by the whole let's get together and feel alright silliness. I always enjoyed the political intrigue, which is why I consider what Itachi and Sandaime did was entirely justified (the Uchiha would have been wise to focus on eliminating the cause of all their grief, Madara, instead of trying to cause a civil war).

Sorry if I gushed too much. ^_^

-
I didn't comment in a while because frankly the old Kages interest me as much as ... well, they don't. >__> -

2nd Mizukage is growing on me, mostly in how he kept getting digs on Gaaradad.

*Random person you've never heard of before who found your FF profile, 'cause she also reads and writes NaruSasuSaku, and followed it to here.*

1. Naruto is lying on two pillows, eating a slice of watermelon... shirtless.

2. Sasuke is /watching/. And performing fellatio on a bottle as he does so.

3. Sakura is going to splash Sasuke any second.

4. OMG, Kakashi-sensei!!

5. Naruto Beetle is totally kicking Sasuke Beetle's ass at seven wins to three.

6. Guess what my new desktop background is XD

Sorry to disappoint, but he's wearing a wife-beater. >.>

Ack, disregard that, I suck cocks! I mistook the tails of his headband for the wife-beater.

LOL, it's cool :D I only recently realized that it's not two pillows he's lying on, but one folded over, so you're not the only one who was missing something.

suddenly I want to start reading Naruto again mO_Om

I wonder how many tailed beasts have to put up with undead parents hanging out in their chakra as part of the binding process.

HAD THE SAME REACTION. I've been waiting for the Itachi showdown forever. But I was kind of really hoping it'd be with Sasuke somehow, though Kabuto is probably trying to avoid that at all costs. :<

ITACHI AND NARUTO NEED TO TALK THIS OUT. SOMEHOW. You can't just give your bro to another man without some form of communication, I mean.

Giant clams? WTF.

Anyways. In my head? GaaraPapa used Genjutsu to influence the shape Gaara would give the sand, then played for time with a sympathetic lie.

How's that?

EEEEE better even than the onsen splash page! *___* Somehow...in Kishi's mind Sasuke is already backkkk

in Kishi's mind Sasuke is already backkkk

I LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK

Anyone else, I don't know, expecting to see a bit more of Itachi considering the title?

I pretty much skimmed my way through the last dozen or so chapters >_> BUT HEY THERE'S ITACHI!

I was hoping for a more serious battle between Gaara and his dad. I really just wanted to see Gaara kicking some butt. The Emotional Faces were a plus, and I'm actually really glad Yashamaru wasn't a dick after all. But it started feeling really melodramatic and by the time Gaara started crying, I just wasn't there with him emotionally. And I usually am with Kishimoto, especially with characters I love as much as Gaara.

But I tend to react to overemotional reactions from typically unemotional characters with denial (re: Sasuke) so... LOL.

ANYWAY. ITACHI VS NARUTO PART 2?

-ANYWAY. ITACHI VS NARUTO PART 2?-

THIS TIME: EVEN MORE CROWS SHOVED DOWN THROATS!

crows == penises XD

has anyone else noticed that the last five or so chapters have all ended in an exclamation point? I mean, it's not *that* exciting, is it?

Happens pretty often. It's just a technique to make it *seem* more exciting. Not working very well, but hey. Itachiiiiiii. he totes deserves an exclamation point! ... okay we didn't see much of the promised itachi vs naruto in this one chapter. >__>

Wow the characterations and backstories are melting faster than the witch from oz. ~~except the uchihas...they just had a house dropped on them.~~

ugh ignore me and my sense of humor.

I really don't like what kishie is doing to all his characters. I mean I was actually impressed with the series because of the suprisingly serious backstories and the character going "you know what life suck! but i'm going to become stronger for it, take that haters!"
But now this going back and making special meanings for everything and no no your parents really did love you.

Naruto I would give the benefit of the doubt and let kushina and yondaime slide even though it totally ruins his whole 'loser with nothing that miraciouly becomes hokage' storylline a bit.

and maybe Sasuke's story because there was forshadowing for it. Even though I liked Itachi more as a insane mass murderer than as supposely nice guy who sacrafices all~
~~Quite personally If I were sasuke I would be more pissed at Itachi now than before.~~

...but this splash screen makes it all ok ^.^

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Naruto 548

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

this isn't really important, but...

Re: this isn't really important, but...

no subject