I was in love with two guys at once back in college. It's a bad idea to read too much of your personal experiences into something written by someone who's never even met you especially when the much of the fictional context doesn't fit at all.
Really?
I'd think that in order for a writer to portray something that seems real, you have to look at real events as an example. True, this is a fictional world, but the more real you make your characters in terms of emotional effect, the better the characters get. More the believable they get.
For example, I am publishing a book right now and many of the events of my book are based of my own experiences. It's not a biography, but many can relate to it because they are real. This is probably another reason why most people think NaruSaku is more believable because it is more real than any other pairing. It adds in the angst that teens have, it adds in the troubles of the heart and what is the right choice. Hinata and Naruto seem like a fairy tale love with Naruto being the knight in shinning armor and Hinata being the damsel in distress. A love that is too good to be true kind of thing and is lame based on our standards now. It's not that simple and would seem almost fake in today's generation.
SasuSaku also sounds fake because a guy like Sasuke would never turn so dramatically like that and no in real life the bad boy doesn't become the goo guy from one moment being with the girl who loves him.
Again, I know it is a fictional world, but that doesn't mean everything is fake and somethings can be based on real events. Hideki Anno based Evangelion around his own personal thoughts and some real life events. So it is not unheard of for an mangaka to do this.
We all take into account that the teen angst changes from generation to generation. The Jiraiya's, Tsunade's, and Orochimaru's generation is not the same as Naruto's generation. You also have different circumstances, different times. It's like comparing the WWII generation to the now generation.
My mom does this to me too. She tries to coach me on getting a girlfriend, but doesn't really understand that things changed since last generation.
Since Naruto is about the generation now surpassing the last one, this topic fits well. Naruto is faced with similar if not identical problems of the last generation, but this time he does hold the answers because of what he has learned from the past generations.
Both Jiraiya and Naruto were in love with their female teammates (Tsunade and Sakura) who both are hot headed, but mean well. We find out Tsunade actually loved Jiraiya but Jiraiya failed to be with her despite him being in love with her. Naruto is in love with Sakura, but where Jiraiya failed Naruto will succeed. Jiraiya's best friend Orochimaru turned evil and has failed to save him. Naruto's best friend Sasuke also turned evil and again might be able to save him.
I am guessing you are far older than me, but believe me when I say. This generation is nothing like the last generation and has changed greatly. This shows as well in Naruto because Naruto's generation greatly reflects the one we are in now respectfully.
Edited by James S Cassidy, 12 December 2009 - 05:42 AM.