Would you guys argue that Part II in terms of the anime (Shippuden) did more for it's characters up to Pain Arc than Kishi did in the manga?
For example:
The Sora Arc - Big Character piece for Asuma before his death in the Hidan and Kakuzu Arc (in many ways made it more emotional)
Three Tails Arc - Showcased a conflict between Orochimaru and the Akatsuki (which never really happened in the manga). That and the other members like Team Kuranai and Team Asuma got somewhat of a spotlight.
6 Tails Arc - Naruto meeting another Jinchuriki (other than Gaara), and getting to know their character.
things like that.
I really didn't watch the filler episodes, mostly because how they handled them in Part 1 was atrocious (though to be honest, I was getting bored with the anime as a whole because of how slow-paced it was becoming). Based on what I saw on those, it seemed they were at least trying. Seriously, they should have, or at least the elements they incorporated, been canon.
This is a huge problem with the world of Naruto as Kishi writes it. He sets it up for this big lore, and hardly explores it. Whether it was because his editors wanted him to make this fantasy epic he wasn't prepared for or because he had too many characters and plotlines to juggle, we'll never know (probably both)
I have said this for the past 3 years now and some people still don't get it. The conversation actually goes like this:
Me: "Why do you hate Sakura so much?"
Them: "Well because she is nothing more than a useless selfish fangirl who treated Naruto like crap."
Me: "You hate her cause she was obsessed with Sasuke?"
Them: "Essentially."
Me: "So, tell me, wouldn't it have been better if she got over Sasuke and say got with Naruto? It would show hr growth as a character in one aspect and at least she would be more respectable."
Them: "No, Sakura HAS to stay with Sasuke and Naruto HAS to go with Hinata. That is how it is supposed to be."
Me: "You can't have it both ways. You can't say Sakura is bad for being obsessed with Sasuke, but then say she is not allowed to get over Sasuke because you want her to be with Sasuke. Are you even listening to yourself?"
Them: *confused* "You're just a salty pairing fan"
Me: *sighs*
It is one of the biggest double standards in the fandom right now with the pro-enders. It is in the top three right behind "Hinata deserves Naruto because she loves him first, but Naruto doesn't not deserve Sakura despite loving her first" and "If Sakura does it, it is bad, but if Hinata does it it is good."
This is one reason why NS should have been canon. It would have made Sakura better as a character and people would have respected her, but god forbid we make Sakura get over the one thing that people hate her for. It is such a big hypocrisy that they wanted SS to be canon so bad, but not have Sakura be in love with Sasuke anymore. Like, so you WANT SS to exist simply for procreation and not love.
Meanwhile, save for the sites you listed, most other anime sites are starting to say that SS and NH are a bad idea and at best SS was a bad idea and maybe NS would have been better.
This is why I say these people secretly want NS canon even though they won't admit it. At least, they know it would have been better deep down and won't admit it.
The other great tragedy of this series. Instead of a team 7 reunion, we got "Hinata and her obsessed thirst for Naruto's D***"
Honestly, I just want to have a calm conversation with an NH fan. Not something along the likes of "NS Fan OWNS NH fan" (though I'm sure many of you would enjoy that). Just a calm Q and A where we go over the different plot points that meant the most to us, get in our views on each, and call it a day. At least then we can walk away with a sense of understanding of one another.
Unfortunately, I doubt it will ever go that way. I'll probably get some jack*** screaming at me at some point, kind of like what the Youtuber Young Yea went through with that Kotaku guy (the former did a great job in keeping his composure)
(exhales) Confirmation bias. Most likely explanation. They saw Hinata and how she adored Naruto at a time when Sakura still thought he was annoying. As such, they wanted NaruHina to happen in order to give him something good in his life. They kept telling themselves that she would have all this development, all this growth (and not just in her chest) ultimately resulting in her becoming the underdog heroine of the series who rises up.
That's what they wanted out of the series, and as such it colored their views on it. Much like how fanfic writers tend to write Sasuke as an egotistical prick who loves shoving his superiority in Naruto's face during Part I. Any event or action that could be seen as supportive of their ship became magnified, while the parts of the story that speak out against it fell to the wayside. They fail to see the whole picture here, I'd even argue they don't even see the picture itself. Just their own twisted version of it.
I see the same thing with people insanely upset about Gundam IBO's ending.
I see that a lot with fandoms, and I hate it when it leaks to reviewers who try to act professional.
The way people view the 1980s Shredder is a good example. Growing up, they saw that Shredder as the ultimate warrior that none of the other Shredders could ever compare to. They seem to block out how that Oroku Saki was a complete buffoon 90% of the time because that's what cartoons required those days.
I also see it a lot with how people have been viewing Cobra Kai. They like to see Johnny as this ultimate hero who is standing up to PC culture or something like that, and that Daniel was the villain the whole time. They're missing the point by a wide mile. Johnny is an anti-hero; yes, he has done some good things for the kids he has taken under his wing, but he's going about it the wrong way. He didn't reopen the dojo to help them, he did it to help himself. While he has come a long way from the bully he once was, as Daniel said, he still has a lot of demons he's struggling to sort out. Plus Daniel is concerned because of what he went through with the old Cobra Kai, and has no reason to see it has changed. So many of the comments want Johnny to be their sensei, but I bet a week under him all of those youtubers would quit.
There's a lot of other examples out there, but those are the two I notice the most.
