whats all the fuss about naruto?

Daio Kaji · Post by **Daio Kaji** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:22 am

i wish i could get around to watching some of the english episodes, i've actually heard that they've done a decent job, at the very least, it's acceptable

not speaking on the anime (cause i keep up to date only with the manga... i suffer from dial-up syndrome) i've kept up with the story since the beginning and still actively buy the manga from the store

i'm not in the ages of 10-12 but i am a fan of the show mostly because it's a good example of the "classics" with a new spin on them

classic good vs evil themes
classic rival main characters
classic action drama

new twist on ninja anime
new twist on power rangers/captain planet characters
new twist on character development

just plain good artwork imo, kishimoto=the man
(anime's artwork isn't as consistant)

btw, when i say "power rangers" i mean that there are people who specialize in things, like the power rangers (just an example, tons of shows did this) had the smart guy or the hopeful character or the stronger than the rest leader character, Naruto has shadow specialist, bug/water/fire specialists

as far as character development, i gotta admit that's it's slow, but at the same time the characters are kids, it's like they're learning everything as they get older, sadly it's a long process, but in the end...

..Whisper of the Beast RoX!!

devilmaykickass · Post by **devilmaykickass** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:13 am

I've only seen the cartoon network version and I didn't like it at all. All the characters annoyed me and seemed like recycled clones of other shonen anime characters.

Richard J. · Post by **Richard J.** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:33 am

BasharOfTheAges wrote:Are you basing your assumptions that it's just for kids on the dub? Honestly, yes it is. In fact the uncut version shown in Japan is also targeted at the 10 to 12 year old male demographic - granted they had to do things to it to keep it at the same age group in the U.S. due to certain standards we seem to have on the TV that are rather puritan and backwards compared to most of the civilized world.

Normally I don't try to argue with people but I have to say something here. The United States is not the only country which has these "rather puritan and backwards" views.

For instance, in the UK Naruto is being shown on Jetix and is considerably more edited than it is here on CN's Toonami. And just about any country in the Middle East, if it shows anything from a western country, will edit it for content. Japan itself has some stations which force series to undergo edits or to be censored from their inseption. TV Tokyo (if I'm remembering what I read correctly) required Noir to not show blood.

Heck, if you really want to consider an interesting fact, how about how hentai and regular porn in Japan has black marks and pixelation whereas here it is unedited? (Aside from the asanine statements that the characters are over 18. They're drawings for crying out loud!)

Do I disagree with you that the way children's programing here in the US is often santizized is stupid? No. I agree that kid's shows here are overly censored.

But please try to remember that censorship is not limited to the United States and that we are hardly the worst offenders.

I hope you will understand that I am not trying to offend you. I just wanted to point out that this is a not an issue limited to the US.

Also, I think it is inappropriate to use the terms "puritan" and "backwards" together as having a stricter moral code does not mean that a person is incapable of forward thinking.

BasharOfTheAges · Post by **BasharOfTheAges** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 11:45 am

Richard J. wrote: Normally I don't try to argue with people but I have to say something here. The United States is not the only country which has these "rather puritan and backwards" views.

And I never said it was. Though most of Europe, and Canada has softcore porn on basic cable - so you decide.

Richard J. wrote: Japan itself has some stations which force series to undergo edits or to be censored from their inseption. TV Tokyo (if I'm remembering what I read correctly) required Noir to not show blood.

Gantz was also shown censored - and for good reasons.

Richard J. wrote: Heck, if you really want to consider an interesting fact, how about how hentai and regular porn in Japan has black marks and pixelation whereas here it is unedited?

Consider this: All the porn / hentai I saw in Akiba was in clear view of children. the boxes were not censored and they were right next to the regular anime and live action movies.

Richard J. wrote: I hope you will understand that I am not trying to offend you. I just wanted to point out that this is a not an issue limited to the US.

Which I never claimed it to be in the first place. I'm very careful about making my statements when i'm not rushed. I made sure not to say that.

Richard J. wrote: Also, I think it is inappropriate to use the terms "puritan" and "backwards" together as having a stricter moral code does not mean that a person is incapable of forward thinking.

It's often a good indicator though.

older_gohan · Post by **older_gohan** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:57 pm

I'll definately disagree with that for the most part. Having a strict moral code does not cause individuals to receed in compitent and more lose thoughts. On the more contrary having a strict moral sense gives people a greater idea of how either side actually is on how it affects the general public.

It's hard for anyone who is lose on their morals to udnerstand why someone with strict morals would choose to have such things or why such things are done as they are. Where on the moral side they see both ends for what they are because a non moral sense doesn't delute what it shows thus making the effects that much more obvious to anyone whether aggreeable with it or not.

So in short those T.V. shows which show much more strict sides to morality are giving people a chance to start off on a foot that sees both ends for what they may be.

Oh and as a second thought, be careful what you may label as civilized because it is only a matter of opinion.

As is what I wrote in this post. Mere opinion.

Daio Kaji · Post by **Daio Kaji** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:12 pm

older_gohan wrote:It's hard for anyone who is lose on their morals to udnerstand why someone with strict morals would choose to have such things or why such things are done as they are.

i agree that it can be difficult for a person with loose morals to understand a person with strict morals, and visa versa

older_gohan wrote:Where on the moral side they see both ends for what they are because a non moral sense doesn't delute what it shows thus making the effects that much more obvious to anyone whether aggreeable with it or not.
So in short those T.V. shows which show much more strict sides to morality are giving people a chance to start off on a foot that sees both ends for what they may be.

i'm sorry if i misunderstood you, you may have lost me with your wording, but it sounds like you're saying that if a TV show is show with a strict sense in mind, it will of course be censored and that that will give people a better chance to see both ends?

if that's what you were saying, than i'd have to disagree, i think if a person is to have a clear sense of things, they need to experience them in an unfiltered way so that they can make their own conclusions on what was moral and what was immoral

Richard J. · Post by **Richard J.** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:23 pm

BasharOfTheAges wrote:And I never said it was. Though most of Europe, and Canada has softcore porn on basic cable - so you decide.

I'm not sure what is offered on basic cable in those countries but you can find hardcore porn edited to soft on most of the movie channels that can be added to the basic package in the US.

BasharOfTheAges wrote:Gantz was also shown censored - and for good reasons.

So sometimes censorship is okay. Never seen Gantz so can't comment beyond that.

BasharOfTheAges wrote:Consider this: All the porn / hentai I saw in Akiba was in clear view of children. the boxes were not censored and they were right next to the regular anime and live action movies.

This is obviously different from the US. I have not been to Japan, therefore I have to rely upon what I've read, seen in scanned hentai manga, and viewed in clips from hentai anime. What I have seen has had black marks and/or pixelation. I'm curious as to exactly what was shown on the boxes. I've been under the impressing that it's not considered a problem to show breasts or bare rears but genititals are a problem.

BasharOfTheAges wrote:Which I never claimed it to be in the first place. I'm very careful about making my statements when i'm not rushed. I made sure not to say that.

True. You did not claim that it was only the US with such issues. However, you specifically targeted the US in your statement and did not make any broader statement against censorship in other countries. Rather you stated that the US standards were "rather puritan and backwards compared to most of the civilized world."

I did not feel that you were making a broader condemnation of censorship but rather a condemnation of the US. I appologize for the misunderstanding but I feel that I made the error only because your phrasing was specifically targeting the US.

BasharOfTheAges wrote:It's often a good indicator though.

Right. So how did we "backwards" Americans end up so much more wealthy, happy, and technologically superior to the rest of the world? While I am personally of the opinion that censorship in this country is a problem, I don't think "puritan" values are necessarily bad things.

Gepetto · Post by **Gepetto** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:27 pm

Justified censoring apart, I had the opportunity to look into some comparative screenshots of Naruto episode 1 when it first aired on Cartoon Network, and there were some things I didn''t get:

one guy who appears on the flashbacks of the big fox stepping on people: His face was redrawn just because he had a scar on his cheek (at least that's the only thing they changed). Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kenshin still has his on RK.

The scene in which the sensei finds Naruto in the woods and Naruto explains he was training. Sensei (I think his name is Izuka or Inuka or something) has his hand on his waist in the Japanese version, but his arm is hanging loose in the American version.

I got it when Goku spat five gallons of water every time he was punched in the stomach, but why this?

BasharOfTheAges · Post by **BasharOfTheAges** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 8:23 pm

Richard J. : superiority because of military might. Might makes right, right? Technologically supperior? Hardly. Where do all the hi-tech inovations come from? Japan. Most of Europe has just as much of it as we do because it's marketed there just as much as here. You're right about money. We tend to think it's a bit more important here than anywhere else in the world as well. I'm not talking about "enough to live" i'm taling enough for that second home and the lexus in the drive way. Happy?

Gepetto: interesting fact, they actually added random edits to DBZ that seemed out of place. Random rocks and trees were put in scenes that were edited for other reasons as well. I guess it's so the editing team is actually doing enough work for the higher-up's minds.

Gepetto · Post by **Gepetto** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 8:27 pm

in other words, they feel guilty because they're actually paid to do nearly nothing? Quite possible. At least they keep to the same drawing style as the original so it doesn't compromise the viewing.

Now that you mentioned the trees and rocks, I do recall a few screenshots of Naruto showing a log that wasn't even there, but ended up rolling around for a few scenes. One edit that was benefic was this big Shuriken on white-hair-guy's back. He had two, tossed one at Sensei and the other just disappeared during the chase scene, only to appear again later. In the American version, it was there the whole time.