Written by: Shiggins
On November 10th, 2014 we all lost a series close to our hearts. A series that is the exact reason Otakunuts even exists today and will hopefully exist for many days to come. That series is obviously, Naruto.
After reading FrillyPhoenix's review of the two chapters, you are no doubt wondering what the other writers of Otakunuts thought about it. Did we hate it? Did we love it? Did we cry like a bitch or did we rage like one instead? Well, the wondering can stop because after some contemplation and soul-searching we're ready to give our opinions. And lucky me, because I get to go first!
Shiggins
I spent ages trying to think of how to properly review these two chapters since there is so much to talk about. So I came to the best possible answer in the history of humanity: I'm just gonna list everything that happened and my reaction to it.
Chapter 699:
Team 7, together for the last time - As everybody in the world predicted, Sakura appears in the morning to heal Naruto and Sasuke's injuries and keep them from dying. (She waited until morning to do that so Naruto and Sasuke spent the night together. Aww.) And finally, Sasuke apologises to Sakura! Halle-fucking-lujah, I think I just wet myself! And that final page of Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi together is one I am going to cherish for years to come.
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| Goddamn... The romance in this one panel... |
Kurama is free and Neji's funeral - To be honest, I don't have much to say here. These were scenes we wanted to see and more importantly, we needed to see. It was simple, yes but if you felt no emotion whatsoever when Naruto smiled at Kurama or when you saw the grave of the best Hyuuga, you have no soul.
Sasuke's goodbye to Kakashi - Kakashi is now the Hokage (which I'll elaborate more on later), and telling Sasuke that if it wasn't for Naruto, Sasuke would be imprisoned for life. Kakashi's words may be serious but I know Kakashi enough to trust he has faith in Sasuke properly.
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| *sniff* Poor guy... He never knew what it felt like to poop. |
Sasuke's goodbye to Sakura - So close to a perfect chapter... So close. All Sakura had to do here was keep her cool. Be strong and let Sasuke go, but instead she blushes and gives a goofy smile and wants to leave with him again. Which I suppose is kinda clever because Kishimoto is clearly referring back to the last time Sakura asked to leave with Sasuke but the problem is, she was far too passive and almost wrecking her development. So for me, this was the one thing about chapter 699 I really disapproved of. Still, Sasuke tapping Sakura's forehead was admittedly pretty cool.
Naruto's last interaction with Sasuke - Utterly perfect. I have nothing against this moment at all. It was beautiful. The monologue in Sasuke's head, the smile they gave each other and the headband being given to him as he ends it with those final words... Perfect.
Verdict: Chapter 699 is the ending of Naruto Part 2 and it is near-perfect. Honestly, I can't think of anything I hated about this chapter except for that one page where Sakura went shy for no proper reason. If Kishimoto had ended the series here, I think most people would walk away happy enough but begging for one or two questions to remain answered. And speaking of questions needing answered...
Manga Rating: 4.5/5
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| "Those who endure". Whenever I think of the haters of this fandom, I remember that phrase. And how only a ninja series like this could endure all that. |
Manga Rating: 4.5/5
Chapter 700:
Shino - A lecturer at the Ninja Academy. That's actually fairly appropriate considering how many people were bored of Shino whenever he spoke and how many forget he existed. Now, everybody has to listen to him and every word they say. It's awesome! With the advancement of technology in Naruto, you'll make the same "huh?!" face as I did when you realise he looks like the younger brother of Godot from the Phoenix Wright series.
Boruto Uzumaki - His name is Boruto. His nickname is "Bolt". He's called "Bolt" because Neji means "screw", His grandfather Minato created the jutsu "Flying Thunder God Technique" which has the kanji "rai" which means "lightning bolt". Now that we've established we'll never call him Bolt again as that is a silly name... I don't really care for him. He's like Goten from Dragon Ball Z, by which I mean he is basically a clone of his father. I don't hate Boruto but I won't remember him either.
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| That hair is so fluffy and banana-like, I can barely stand it. |
Ino-Shika-Cho 3 - The third Ino-Shika-Cho combination we've seen and this one is weird. Shikamaru's son Shikadai looks exactly like Shikamaru who looks exactly like Shikaku, which does fit I suppose but that doesn't mean I'll like it. On the other hand, Ino's child is terrifying! Apparently, -his- name is Inojin and he does seem to have some sort of personality which I like for the most part. As for Choji's kid though... I fucking love this girl. I think she is utterly brilliant. She's not a copy or a clone of her parents, and unlike Choji when he was a kid, she walks about like a badass and tells you to suck it because she's fat and proud! This girl is my damn role model!
Himawari Uzumaki - She's cute... That's all I can say. Sorry, we didn't see anything from her except that. Oh but it does confirm NaruHina as canon which I honestly expected anyway so I'm good with it. For me, it was a moment where I went "oh, awesome." and moved on. Others had different feelings and that will be discussed later.
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| What. A. Hero. |
Rock Lee Jr? - Poor Lee. Never gets the respect he deserves. All we got was him working out in one panel (well, one and a half), which is appropriate for him but I love Lee too much to see him so briefly. As for the kid behind him, I think the fandom is as confused as I am. Is that a kid Lee is training or did he have his own child? I personally think it's the latter because I love the idea of Lee inspiring another pupil, instead of just badly raising his own kid like that. Also, it'd be another case of "history repeats itself" which is practically the show's theme.
Tenten - Speaking of people who never got respect, what was even the point of this? Did Kishimoto just refuse to let Tenten be happy? He handed her the Sage's tools and then gave her a failing shop. What an odd thing to do to a character. It seems weird that almost everybody else was happy. Then again, Neji's death was the death of my ship with Tenten so I don't know what to feel anymore...
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| Oh Hinata. You never did figure out a good fashion sense, did you? |
Sand Siblings - Gaara looks awful. I know it. You know. The whole world knows it. Gaara's hair did not age well. And by the way, isn't it weird that Gaara is one of the only characters we don't see have a happy ending? Perhaps those eyes are just too scary. Then again, Gaara isn't the scariest one around since we've got Kankaro with his tiger-like markings and hood. (You don't look like a creepy murderer at all...). Temari looks and acts the exact same as expected so no other notes on that, other than I am thankful she's definitely the mother of Shikadai.
Kiba and Akamaru - Kiba looks great. He's possibly my favourite epilogue-design but I'm not 100% sure on that so don't quote me, please. I'm begging you! Akamaru made me sad though because it's like Buster from Toy Story 3. You want to see the doggy be young forever. Not depressingly old! Oh and I had to Google this but the crazy cat lady is Tamaki. Remember her? The supremely popular and interesting granddaughter of the cat-themed woman who Sasuke visited to get clothes for Jugo? Sure you do. I'm sure she's not in this final chapter because of any cat-dog joke....
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| "Soon, the Ninja will know the true power of the Dark Side..." |
Sai/Ino and Choji/Karui - Sai and Ino had sex and I don't want to ever picture it because it's both hilarious and awkward and really... odd. (Maybe Ino heard Sai was bigger than Naruto and couldn't resist.) What really confused me though was that Ino hasn't aged a day in any way. She is literally the exact same. What the fuck? And I'm going to repeat my "what the fuck?" when I remember Karui being there. What the fuck?! Choji grew a sexy beard, kept his weight and got the only black girl in the entire series? ...That is so cool! I mean, a lot can happen in a few years and as crack pairings go, Choji could have ended up with a lot worse. Yeah, it's still weird though but a good weird. And I like a good weird.
Asuma's and Kurenai's daughter - So, we finally know the gender and she's not bad-looking either. Very cool, tomboyish and respectful to a great man we all miss. This did make me wish for a Jiraiya tribute in this chapter too though but with only 20-ish pages, I understand why there was no room for one.
Kakashi and Gai - Nope. Not happy about this one. I love these two too much and I need more, damnit! *sigh* However, I get it. Again, not enough time to show everything. Kakashi and Gai are enjoying a carefree life and going on a holiday together. Maybe they'll go to Brokeback Mountain. Speaking of Gai, is he disabled now or is he just being old for once? Either way, kinda depressing to see. A perfect reference to when Lee got disabled though. I guess not everybody can stand back up after breaking the rules.
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| Why does looking at her make my cheeks blush...? |
Former Kages - Tsunade, A, Mei and Onoki haven't changed much really. In fact, their cameo was almost pointless except to show they're still alive. Onoki is never dying because the cranky ones outlive us all. I approve of this. And wow, Mei. You couldn't have sex with Chojuro? That's a shame.
Killer Bee - How can such a simple clothing change look so amazing?
The Hokage's Staff - Shikamaru is the adviser and honestly, that's expected and well-deserved. Hell, part of me wanted him to become Hokage because he'd be so good at it. Shizune is still working in her old job, which is a bit odd because part of me wanted to see her happily married too. Maybe she's married to Aoba and we never saw it.
Naruto and Boruto - And now we come to something quite controversial in the Naruto fandom; Naruto punishing Boruto for a prank Naruto once did. While it is true that Naruto is having to punish him and Boruto just wants attention from his dad, I actually feel a bit sorry for Naruto here. He's in an adult world, and he's doing his best to keep focus on both his family and his work. He does try to bond with Boruto and has clearly taught him what being a ninja is all about. Naruto will never be heartless or neglectful to anybody, especially his own children, and if you really believe that after what I just wrote, look at this panel...
Iruka - A small complaint but I always felt Iruka was never shown enough throughout the series. I was hoping for a final talk between Naruto and Iruka and sadly, this series never gave me that. I'll always remember that.
Naruto is Hokage - Ladies and gentlemen, we made it. Naruto is Hokage of Konoha and nobody will ever doubt him again. He completed his dream and he stayed true to his word, which is his ninja way. I'm being a bit corny right now but I think that's okay. I think for a moment like this, it's allowed. Oh and Gaara, Kurotsuchi, Chojuro and Darui are the other Kages right now. That is very awesome.
One Piece - Goddamnit, Oda! Leave me alone! I liked three of your arcs! I admit it but I don't like the rest of your arcs! I'm sorry! *deep sigh* However, Kishimoto and Oda both showed a wee homage to each other in their chapters and I think that's great. It's respect, it's admiration and it's recommendation. Is Kishimoto saying we should all read One Piece now? Maybe...
NaruHina and SasuSaku - You're probably wondering why I've left this one for last and to be honest, I really wish I didn't need to but unfortunately, the fandom has made it clear where their priorities seem to lie. Naruto and Hinata had two kids together, which was expected since Hinata was the first person who ever showed Naruto unconditional love. (His parents were dead remember.) And if Naruto isn't pissed off or hateful towards Sasuke for all he did, then I think the same rules should apply to Sakura too and she doesn't deserve as much hate as she gets for still loving Sasuke.
As expected, not every ship could happen and the most popular "sunken ship" is NaruSaku, and yeah I feel somewhat bad about that. I know there are some true fans out there who felt Naruto and Sakura belonged together and were huge supporters of it. So if you're one of the people that does not fit the next description, then I'm truly sorry you didn't get your ship. It's not nice to lose a ship, my friends. (This also applies to NaruSasu and SasuHina fans too, but I know those two weren't as popular as NaruSaku was).
I usually don't go on huge rants because I stick to Fairy Tail and Kuroshitsuji which mostly consist of friendly and hilarious fans. However, I am really pissed off right now. Pissed off and fucking disgusted. Since the reveal of this ending, the Naruto fandom has shown it's ugliest side and made fans such as myself, Micha and Claydragon look pathetic. Some people are using the phrase "marketing over development" in a state of denial, as if thinking Kishimoto had no control or intention to make NaruHina and SasuSaku happen and only brought them in last second to patronise us. Other people have actually started a petition to try to make Kishimoto change the ending, harassing his assistants on Twitter/Facebook/whatever. And that right there, is an example of why I feel sorry for Kishimoto right now.
Naruto was never about shipping or romance or which girl Naruto would impregnate at the end of the series. It was about acceptance, friendship and about being the underdog and refusing to give up and become a failure. Yes, there was some small romance themes within the chapters because of Hinata loving Naruto, Naruto's crush on Sakura during Part 1 and Sakura's affections for Sasuke throughout the series, but the aggressive and angry fans turned this into nothing but a sideshow for their precious ships. Instead of hoping for a great finale to an epic story, all we heard for weeks was both sides of the "shipping wars" screaming angrily at each other.
This is a series that many of us are proud to have followed throughout the years and while I will be the first to admit it was never perfect, it was a good and enjoyable read. So if you are honestly someone who can disrespect/not even acknowledge a man who gave you the best years of his life, who had practically no other choice but to create this epilogue because of so many fans wanting their ships confirmed, and who worked his hardest for a story he believed in because you disliked the final chapter and/or the "sinking of your ship", I have just one thing to say to you people...
Killer Bee - How can such a simple clothing change look so amazing?
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| Computers in Naruto... I have a bad feeling about that one, to be honest. |
Naruto and Boruto - And now we come to something quite controversial in the Naruto fandom; Naruto punishing Boruto for a prank Naruto once did. While it is true that Naruto is having to punish him and Boruto just wants attention from his dad, I actually feel a bit sorry for Naruto here. He's in an adult world, and he's doing his best to keep focus on both his family and his work. He does try to bond with Boruto and has clearly taught him what being a ninja is all about. Naruto will never be heartless or neglectful to anybody, especially his own children, and if you really believe that after what I just wrote, look at this panel...
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| The amount of emotion on his face right now explains everything to me. |
Sarada Uchiha - After Choji's epic daughter, I honestly didn't expect to properly enjoy reading any of the other kids. That is until Sarada started talking and I'm not sure why but I think she's got potential. She might not be nice or cool but she's got a personality and a unique look to her that doesn't look like a copy of Sakura or Sasuke. (Although those glasses make me think of someone else...)
Sakura was cleaning - Why did I have to talk about this? Well, I'm ashamed to admit that half the fandom seems to think that because we saw Sakura cleaning a shelf, she's become a "boring" housewife and has retired from being a ninja and healing others. Clearly, this must be the case. Hell, I made a sandwich today so clearly I must be a chef! And my friend pushed a door today, so clearly he must be the most devoted doorman of all time! THERE IS NO OPTION!
Sasuke - I... I really don't know. For some reason, Sasuke decided to wake up one morning and transform himself into a Madara clone and all we see is him walking around alone. This scene really baffles me and I suppose could be up for interpretation. Is Sasuke still trying to redeem himself? Is he off on a mission? Taking a walk? Is he running away from his family? I don't know!
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| Maybe she's cosplaying as Levi right now instead... |
Naruto is Hokage - Ladies and gentlemen, we made it. Naruto is Hokage of Konoha and nobody will ever doubt him again. He completed his dream and he stayed true to his word, which is his ninja way. I'm being a bit corny right now but I think that's okay. I think for a moment like this, it's allowed. Oh and Gaara, Kurotsuchi, Chojuro and Darui are the other Kages right now. That is very awesome.
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| Why do I suddenly get the image of Boruto reading One Piece chapters in preparation for this? |
NaruHina and SasuSaku - You're probably wondering why I've left this one for last and to be honest, I really wish I didn't need to but unfortunately, the fandom has made it clear where their priorities seem to lie. Naruto and Hinata had two kids together, which was expected since Hinata was the first person who ever showed Naruto unconditional love. (His parents were dead remember.) And if Naruto isn't pissed off or hateful towards Sasuke for all he did, then I think the same rules should apply to Sakura too and she doesn't deserve as much hate as she gets for still loving Sasuke.
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| Sakura giving one of my favourite babies her chakra. I cannot hate her for that. |
I usually don't go on huge rants because I stick to Fairy Tail and Kuroshitsuji which mostly consist of friendly and hilarious fans. However, I am really pissed off right now. Pissed off and fucking disgusted. Since the reveal of this ending, the Naruto fandom has shown it's ugliest side and made fans such as myself, Micha and Claydragon look pathetic. Some people are using the phrase "marketing over development" in a state of denial, as if thinking Kishimoto had no control or intention to make NaruHina and SasuSaku happen and only brought them in last second to patronise us. Other people have actually started a petition to try to make Kishimoto change the ending, harassing his assistants on Twitter/Facebook/whatever. And that right there, is an example of why I feel sorry for Kishimoto right now.
Naruto was never about shipping or romance or which girl Naruto would impregnate at the end of the series. It was about acceptance, friendship and about being the underdog and refusing to give up and become a failure. Yes, there was some small romance themes within the chapters because of Hinata loving Naruto, Naruto's crush on Sakura during Part 1 and Sakura's affections for Sasuke throughout the series, but the aggressive and angry fans turned this into nothing but a sideshow for their precious ships. Instead of hoping for a great finale to an epic story, all we heard for weeks was both sides of the "shipping wars" screaming angrily at each other.
This is a series that many of us are proud to have followed throughout the years and while I will be the first to admit it was never perfect, it was a good and enjoyable read. So if you are honestly someone who can disrespect/not even acknowledge a man who gave you the best years of his life, who had practically no other choice but to create this epilogue because of so many fans wanting their ships confirmed, and who worked his hardest for a story he believed in because you disliked the final chapter and/or the "sinking of your ship", I have just one thing to say to you people...
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| I'm really thankful I got to put in a Doctor Who picture here. (Another series I love dearly). |
Final Verdict: ...It was okay. I mean, I never expected an amazing epilogue anyway because it was only 20-ish pages and it's impossible for Kishimoto to show everything in that amount of time. 7 years is a long time and I think people forgot that as they read this. A lot can happen in such an amount of time and a lot did happen. Hopefully, we'll get more details as time goes by but for now, I walk away somewhat satisfied with Kishimoto's ending. Will I check out "Part 3" or any of the side stories that are coming out next year? I'll give it a glance. I owe Masashi Kishimoto that much, at least.
Manga Rating: 3.5/5
Other opinions on Naruto's Ending will be up soon.
Manga Rating: 3.5/5
Other opinions on Naruto's Ending will be up soon.
Shiggins:[Admin]
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Shiggins enjoys many strange forms of communication, especially those including cosplayers or presents or videos. However, until that wonderful day comes when people care enough to give him things for being him, you can contact him on his Skype; shigginsishere. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/.
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