Naruto

You guys, go read Naruto.  Like, for real.  GO READ NARUTO.  It is incredibly good.  Don't believe me? Go read it.  Here's a link to the very first chapter: http://www.mangastream.to/naruto-chapter-1-page-1.html (read RIGHT TO LEFT)

The plot focuses on this ninja named Naruto--who is a boss.  Don't believe me? Go read it.  It is a typical shounen manga in that it's about a young-ish boy who has to beat all the odds against him.  This one really focuses on the proving oneself part, though.  As well as friends.  Like, you need good friends.  Go read it, and tell your friends about its awesomeness.

As a LGBTQ youth, it helped me through a lot.  At one point, I remember saying that it was the one thing that gave me hope to continue on.  It's actually one of the reasons I still continue on.  If the mangaka behind Naruto--Masashi Kishimoto--died, I would also die.  We are intertwined.



At the beginning, it is a bit slow because the main character IS moderately innocent and ignorant.  But the first chapter itself is powerful. Like, it gives me chills to reread it.  It is legitimately THE BEST manga out there.  Nothing compares.

I honestly can't wait for every Wednesday update and it kills me if Kishimoto-san takes a week off.  I have been reading/watching (I started out watching the anime) Naruto since 6th grade (2005/2006), and it is one of the best things in my life.

Saying that, I am not a very extensive manga reader.  The only manga I have read completely (partly because many manga comics are ongoing things.  Like, this one called Detective Conan--interesting mystery comic--has over 900 chapters and is still going) is called M.A.R. and it was also rather good but still not as good as Naruto.

Anyway, if you are an active Naruto reader, I would love to be a co-fan with you.  If you have not tried Naruto before, try it.  If you have tried Naruto before but dropped it for a while, I implore you to take it back up.  It's super legit.  Get to the current chapter and then we can talk about whether or not it is good.  (btw, japanese names put the surname first; so where Westerners call Naruto "Naruto Uzumaki," the Japanese call Naruto "Uzumaki Naruto")



GOSH NARUTO AND SASUKE AND KAKASHI AND ITACHI AND TSUNADE AND NARUTO AND SASUKE AND ITACHI AND ROCK LEE.  OMFG GO READ IT!!

Anime/Manga

I have liked anime ever since I was a little boy.  So far, my favorite is Naruto (watched from sixth to eighth grade and then read manga).  Since I started high school, however, I've really only been reading the manga.  I like Bleach, DBZ, Naruto, Yuyu Hakusho, Ruroni Kenshin, Inuyasha, MAR, Detective Conan, and a few others.  I don't know if Avatar: the Last Airbender counts, but it is definitely my favorite anime (Naruto is my favorite manga/anime).  I might make posts about these from time to time.  So I just felt that I should get the fact out there.

DBZ may be an exception to the rule, but manga seems to be much more intelligent than any of the American cartoons that I see around nowadays.  It's even a bit more intelligent than some of the old cartoons that used to air on television.  Don't even get me started on how far the cartoon industry in America has fallen.