So I finallt caught up with this thread. I've been so busy with exams that I haven't really been able to partake in any of the discussions that's been going on.
This was a really great chapter. Everything that happened seemed to match with the overall theme. Endurance. Because that's what living truly is. Life isn't always easy and there will be times when you will face disappointment and failure. So what do you do? You learn from it and get stronger. In other words, you endure. I just love when all the pieces come together like that.
As for the romance stuff all I can say is that if Kishi really intends to make NH canon, then he's not doing a very good job. Too many missed oppoutunities. NH still has a chance, but I just don't see how or why Kishi would choose that route. Not now at least.
To be honest, what bothers me the most is not the lack of NS moments but rather the lack of Sakura moments. Like many others, I also really liked that lovely colour spread, not just because it featured Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura in awesome costumes, but because it also somewhat confirmed who the heroine of this story is. I just hope this means that Kishi will actually follow through and give Sakura some much needed/deserved development.
What bothers me the most about these last chapters is actually Ino's development. I don't know why because I actually quite like Ino and I think that her fathers speech was very beautiful and a nice way to show that she is now a mostly complete character. I say mostly, becuase like Sakura, she also seems to not have fully resolved her love life.
However, I think the reason why her recent development bothers me so much is this:
From the start, this series has established that the worst pain one can experience is both the hell of loneliness as well as the pain of losing a loved one. Naruto and Sasuke have experienced both of these, while Sakura hasn't experienced either of them. You could argue that her being bullied as a kid was her "hell of loneliness" but to me that's not really the same though it may very well have helped shape her fragile psyche and sense of self-worth.
So yeah, it just seems odd to me that the main female character hasn't experienced what is arguably two of the main themes of the story. Granted, Ino hasn't really experienced loneliness either. Rather it seems that her childhood was completely devoid of any sort of tragedy and the same can be said of many other characters. So it's not so much the "hell of loneliness". That seems to be reserved only for characters like Naruto and Gaara. It's more about the loss of a loved one, which can be anyone really. Parents, teachers, comrades etc.
For example, look at one of our main villains, Obito. He lost the girl he loved and now he wants to enslave the whole world. Look at Nagato. He lost his best friend/comrade which made him into one of the most fearsome villains the Narutoverse has even seen. Look at Sasuke. He lost his family and now he wants to massacre everyone in Konoha regardless of whether they actually had anything to do with it or not. Look at Orochimaru. He lost his parents which might have been what fueled his obsession with obtaining eternal life. I could go on but you get my point, or at least I hope so. It's late and I should probably go to bed so sorry if this makes absolutely no sense at all.
Edited by TerrorKing, 20 January 2013 - 02:44 AM.
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