134 replies to this topic

[tricksie]

When Sakura's axe was mentioned this particular fanart was the first thing that popped into my head... and with good reason too! The axe is huge and she's carrying it casually with with hand!

yep. me too, with the exact same fan art. I love that Sakura has written her name and a little heart on the axe blade like it's her favorite school notebook or something! rozefire's got some lovely stuff.

The thing with the anime is that whether Kishi likes the portrayals or not, he is contractually bound to let his work be recreated and redistributed by an animation studio. And depending on the terms of that contract and the working relationship with all players, he could have either a good situation or one that he just has to live with. He may have signed over rights from the get-go, when he was approached to do Naruto for Shonen Jump (as part of a giant marketing package where they hold claims on future iterations of his work). Or it could have come later on, after the manga was firmly established. In which case the animation side of the deal would want to keep with the manga, not diverge from it.

So, fans may feel one way and believe that they intuit Kishimoto's original intent, but regardless of how Kishimoto feels about his craft, he is beholden to a very large system of marketing, distributing and general money-making.

He may drop quotes about Sakura being the heroine or being mystified at Hinata's popularity in the anime, but he certainly reaffirms those views by featuring her in the manga. My point is, he may not have set out to give Hinata such a large role, but he's no fool: If there is a large enough fanbase that supports Hinata and NH, then he's going to appeal to that until the end. He would be a terrible author if he didn't write what the fans wanted, even if it doesn't turn out in the end. NH fans are still Naruto fans, and he's not going to let them down either.

Anyway, no matter what Kishimoto's personal opinions are, he's bound to his contract, for better or for worse. Actually, I'd be willing to bet he's pretty happy with the anime. The characterization of Naruto (voice, mannerisms, etc.) is spot-on. And the romantic aspect that bothers shipping fans is pretty far down on his creative priority list. He spends way more time developing plot lines and jutsus and backstories than on the romance. And if anything, the anime's romantic tension has given him a fanbase bump he probably wouldn't have gotten from the manga. Does anyone know the numbers on how many people watch Naruto anime vs. read the manga? At any rate, though the audience may hope for some tug-of-war, Kishimoto is in the center of a vast network of contracts, companies and employees, all supporting his little creation. That's simply a boat he's not going to rock.

I think to get an idea of Kishimoto's opinion, it is best to look at the illustrations. Those are a the clearest message from the artist to the viewer, without any fear of mistranslation.

[FoolishYoungling]

How does Naruto holding Sakura's axe mean a foreshadowing of NS?

[ciardha]

Does anyone know the numbers on how many people watch Naruto anime vs. read the manga?

In Japan, millions read the manga in Jump, where anime viewership is only in the thousands.

[Thomas]

In Japan, millions read the manga in Jump, where anime viewership is only in the thousands.

the problem is the anime sux , the overall qualiy is the lowest possible and the nonsense fillers pratically destroyed its audience.

and thew anime is highly influencied by a naruhina stubborn,
its better to read only manga.

sorry for my english i'm drunk

[Super Boom]

He may drop quotes about Sakura being the heroine or being mystified at Hinata's popularity in the anime, but he certainly reaffirms those views by featuring her in the manga. My point is, he may not have set out to give Hinata such a large role, but he's no fool: If there is a large enough fanbase that supports Hinata and NH, then he's going to appeal to that until the end. He would be a terrible author if he didn't write what the fans wanted, even if it doesn't turn out in the end. NH fans are still Naruto fans, and he's not going to let them down either.

Anyway, no matter what Kishimoto's personal opinions are, he's bound to his contract, for better or for worse. Actually, I'd be willing to bet he's pretty happy with the anime. The characterization of Naruto (voice, mannerisms, etc.) is spot-on. And the romantic aspect that bothers shipping fans is pretty far down on his creative priority list. He spends way more time developing plot lines and jutsus and backstories than on the romance. And if anything, the anime's romantic tension has given him a fanbase bump he probably wouldn't have gotten from the manga. Does anyone know the numbers on how many people watch Naruto anime vs. read the manga? At any rate, though the audience may hope for some tug-of-war, Kishimoto is in the center of a vast network of contracts, companies and employees, all supporting his little creation. That's simply a boat he's not going to rock.

This x 1000!

Seriously, I know I'm probably unwarranted in defending the anime a lot of the time, but they really don't screw that much up. I think people keep forgetting that the romance is a sub-plot, and Kishi has bigger things to focus on. The anime team likes to throw hints to keep fans interested, but it's not like they're contradicting anything that's been firmly established, or at least been confirmed so every fan can understand it. Every bit of Naru/Hina fan-service I've seen in the anime has been, much like the manga, pretty much centered around Hinata. And when Naruto's involved, he's completely oblivious, just like in the manga. I'm surprised so many Naru/Saku fans are complaining, considering some of the stuff they've thrown us, like that 2011 OVA, Sakura cooking soldier pills and writing notes for Naruto during the Immortals Arc, and, of course, that recent filler episode.

As for Hinata, I do think it's kind of annoying how they glorify her sometimes. They gave her a jutsu in the anime that supposedly allows her to surpass Neji, turned her 1-page fight against Pein into half an episode, and her confession was one of the most well-drawn scenes in the anime so far. But, even in the manga, it's not like Kishi has a problem with her. Her actual confession in the manga was still pretty touching, and he's drawn some beautiful pictures of her for cover images.

Hinata --Click here to view--

As you can see, Kishi's definitely not phoning it in when it comes to Hinata. He knows she's a popular character, so he's not gonna stop appealing to her fans anytime soon. So there's no reason to hate the anime for something that Kishi himself is prone to do.

Anyways, that was my little rant, prompted by tricksie's amazing post. I'm sure people here will still be complaining about the anime for many episodes to come (probably for Hinata-related reasons), but I just thought I'd get that off my chest.

In Japan, millions read the manga in Jump, where anime viewership is only in the thousands.

I like those numbers, but in all fairness, I don't think it's appropriate to assume every person who reads Shounen Jump reads Naruto. One Piece dominates Naruto in volume sales, so I'm guessing there's a few fans who might read Jump just for that. Or maybe fans who just don't like the Big 3, but read Jump for new comics.

I mean, I read the Sunday comics in my local newspaper every so often, but that doesn't mean I'm a fan of Kathy or Doonesbury.

sorry for my english i'm drunk

Remember, don't drink and drive. You don't want to hit a bump and spill the drink.

Edited by Boom...Winning, 22 November 2011 - 02:33 AM.

[tricksie]

In Japan, millions read the manga in Jump, where anime viewership is only in the thousands.

Yes, but worldwide, I'm thinking the anime has a far wider distribution than the manga. In the US, anyone who has cable has access to the Naruto anime (Disney channel, I think). But not everyone has ready access to a Shonen Jump copy on a weekly basis. And it seems like I remember a thread where most people said they came to Naruto through the anime, first, then found the manga.

Anyway, I think some hard numbers on how important the anime is overall to the Naruto franchise would probably help viewers/readers understand why Kishimoto would never rock the boat if he did, in fact, find something he didn't care for about the anime.

@boom - totally agree! Great pics of Hinata, really illustrates the point! Yeah, he's def not phoning it in for Hinata. He's not out-and-out pandering to a romantic tension, but he definitely is appealing to all fanbases here. (well, except SS! lol)

Edited by tricksie, 22 November 2011 - 02:47 AM.

[Phantom_999]

I'm not sick of the Hinata appealing, She is an alright character in my book. I don't care what fan service they do I'm just sick of all the SS and NH stuff going around It's not that I have anything against the concepts but it just seems like random mismatches pasted together from part I evidence only. It's the fans that are annoying so I just want an Undeniable NS moment to smack in their faces! Yeah they'll deny it but at least they can't do anything about it beyond bashing the manga and go on their fandoms to write what they call "canon endings" so we just want a real romantic moment that is not controversial or for debate against unless you;'re in complete denial and then we'll be satisfied

[FoolishYoungling]

Yes, but worldwide, I'm thinking the anime has a far wider distribution than the manga. In the US, anyone who has cable has access to the Naruto anime (Disney channel, I think). But not everyone has ready access to a Shonen Jump copy on a weekly basis. And it seems like I remember a thread where most people said they came to Naruto through the anime, first, then found the manga.

Anyway, I think some hard numbers on how important the anime is overall to the Naruto franchise would probably help viewers/readers understand why Kishimoto would never rock the boat if he did, in fact, find something he didn't care for about the anime.

@boom - totally agree! Great pics of Hinata, really illustrates the point! Yeah, he's def not phoning it in for Hinata. He's not out-and-out pandering to a romantic tension, but he definitely is appealing to all fanbases here. (well, except SS! lol)

What do you mean "Kishi not rocking the boat"?

[tricksie]

What do you mean "Kishi not rocking the boat"?

Ah — I often see people saying things like Kishimoto should cut ties with Pierrot or have greater control over the anime, or just saying that Kishimoto should be outraged by the anime content, etc. etc. My point is that it's so unrealistic when you think about the bigger picture that the anime generates a lot of interest for the manga and money for the franchise. Kishimoto's not going to "rock the boat" or mess up a good thing by lambasting a filler episode because it had too much Hinata and not enough Sakura. And Kishimoto goes so far as to reinforce the shipping stuff put forward in the anime, not distance himself from it in the manga, the area where he retains the most control as the original creator.

Put simply, the anime makes a lot of money and drives a lot of interest toward the manga. It's in Kishimoto's best interest to keep up that good relationship. He's not going to mess that up!

[Fenris]

Ah — I often see people saying things like Kishimoto should cut ties with Pierrot or have greater control over the anime, or just saying that Kishimoto should be outraged by the anime content, etc. etc. My point is that it's so unrealistic when you think about the bigger picture that the anime generates a lot of interest for the manga and money for the franchise. Kishimoto's not going to "rock the boat" or mess up a good thing by lambasting a filler episode because it had too much Hinata and not enough Sakura. And Kishimoto goes so far as to reinforce the shipping stuff put forward in the anime, not distance himself from it in the manga, the area where he retains the most control as the original creator.

Put simply, the anime makes a lot of money and drives a lot of interest toward the manga. It's in Kishimoto's best interest to keep up that good relationship. He's not going to mess that up!

I agree with both you and Phantom. Sure, pierot does a overly well done job at promoting whats left of NH, and I doubt Kishi is sitting there with his hands on his head fuming about the anime when he has his family and the manga to worry about. Plus, it's not like the anime studio team did anything horribly wrong like change the canon plot, say, making Sasuke turn good and go back to Konoha after killing Orochimaru, or reverse the roles of Sasuke and Naruto, or kill Sakura - then I could see Kishi doing something about it, but I guess if anything the team is helping Kishi with his pairing war, get the tenseness up, and when the end canon pairing is released in manga, then the world will know. Although the tension would be already built alongside manga + fillers... (To those who don't read the manga)
Am i making sense?

of the stuff they've thrown us, like that 2011 OVA, Sakura cooking soldier pills and writing notes for Naruto during the Immortals Arc, and, of course, that recent filler episode.

Writing notes for Naruto!? Where

---

I don't think the animation team is all that bad, though. I mean, they've given us some pretty damn awesome NS fillers too.

Edited by Fenris, 22 November 2011 - 03:19 AM.

[Super Boom]

Writing notes for Naruto!? Where .

It was in this episode, if you forgot about it (or didn't watch that one )

Naruto Shippuden 74 (or you can watch the dubbed version if you prefer that)

I remembered the episode number because of how generous the pairing fan-service was for this fandom. It's because of episodes like this that I don't care how much N/H fan-service the anime studio throws out there.

Edited by Boom...Winning, 22 November 2011 - 04:03 AM.

[Fenris]

It was in this episode, if you forgot about it (or didn't watch that one )

Naruto Shippuden 74 (or you can watch the dubbed version if you prefer that)

I remembered the episode number because of how generous the pairing fan-service was for this fandom. It's because of episodes like this that I don't care how much N/H fan-service the anime studio throws out there.

Naruto looked so cute when he got the letter from Sakura <3

And you're right

Edited by Fenris, 22 November 2011 - 04:38 AM.

[FoolishYoungling]

It was in this episode, if you forgot about it (or didn't watch that one )

Naruto Shippuden 74 (or you can watch the dubbed version if you prefer that)

I remembered the episode number because of how generous the pairing fan-service was for this fandom. It's because of episodes like this that I don't care how much N/H fan-service the anime studio throws out there.

Watching that episode again made me think of this:

NaruSaku moments can extend to 10+ minutes in one episode, while a NaruHina one can only extend to like 1 minute.. unless of course its pierrot giving more one sided Hinata stuff. So yeah, I don't see why Kishi is going to let NH happen if all the fans of NH are mostly filler believers.

Sorry if I went off topic a bit..

Edited by Sakura Lover, 22 November 2011 - 04:41 AM.

[dl316bh]

He would be a terrible author if he didn't write what the fans wanted, even if it doesn't turn out in the end.

Actually, I'd argue the opposite. You need to keep your fans desires in mind, yes, but a good author also knows when to ignore them. Fans often don't know what they want until they get it and letting them influence your story too much can lead to disaster.

[Thomas]

Actually, I'd argue the opposite. You need to keep your fans desires in mind, yes, but a good author also knows when to ignore them. Fans often don't know what they want until they get it and letting them influence your story too much can lead to disaster.

im' talking about the quality of the anime , the quality sux!,sometimes the graphic quality is good but sometimes is so bad that u really cant watch it , it hurts ur eyes like this episode (naruto shippuuden 167). try to watch it i dare u!

the studio love to put hinata in places that she does not belong .
if wasnt kishimoto sakura ws already dead.

sorry for my english i'm still drunk

[alexander]

Ah — I often see people saying things like Kishimoto should cut ties with Pierrot or have greater control over the anime, or just saying that Kishimoto should be outraged by the anime content, etc. etc. My point is that it's so unrealistic when you think about the bigger picture that the anime generates a lot of interest for the manga and money for the franchise. Kishimoto's not going to "rock the boat" or mess up a good thing by lambasting a filler episode because it had too much Hinata and not enough Sakura. And Kishimoto goes so far as to reinforce the shipping stuff put forward in the anime, not distance himself from it in the manga, the area where he retains the most control as the original creator.

Put simply, the anime makes a lot of money and drives a lot of interest toward the manga. It's in Kishimoto's best interest to keep up that good relationship. He's not going to mess that up!

I think the biggest issue with Pierrot is how they usually fail to keep the characters, well, IN character. For example, I remember how I saw some fillers from the Fairy Tail anime, and pratically liked all that I had seen, simply because the anime team managed to keep the main characters personalities intact, and make an plot that can at least amuse the viewers. If you saw the zoo episode in the shippudden filler, you will understand what I mean. Kishimoto might be making good money with the anime, but if I were on his shoes, as an artist, I would be really frustrated of the terrible interpretation the characters I created are recieving.

@dl316bh, I agree, I remember an chapter on Bakuman were the main characters recieved fan letters with opinions on what they should do, and their editor advised to not follow the wishes on the letters, otherwise the manga would turn into a series made by the fans instead for the fans.

[Thomas]

I think the biggest issue with Pierrot is how they usually fail to keep the characters, well, IN character. For example, I remember how I saw some fillers from the Fairy Tail anime, and pratically liked all that I had seen, simply because the anime team managed to keep the main characters personalities intact, and make an plot that can at least amuse the viewers. If you saw the zoo episode in the shippudden filler, you will understand what I mean. Kishimoto might be making good money with the anime, but if I were on his shoes, as an artist, I would be really frustrated of the terrible interpretation the characters I created are recieving.

@dl316bh, I agree, I remember an chapter on Bakuman were the main characters recieved fan letters with opinions on what they should do, and their editor advised to not follow the wishes on the letters, otherwise the manga would turn into a series made by the fans instead for the fans.

yeah , i agree a character like rock-lee who kicked sasuke's ass in the classic history ,now is a useless one(like hinata,ten-ten,neji,shino) and got raped by a kangaroo.
it's very sad

[Anguyen92]

I think the biggest issue with Pierrot is how they usually fail to keep the characters, well, IN character. For example, I remember how I saw some fillers from the Fairy Tail anime, and pratically liked all that I had seen, simply because the anime team managed to keep the main characters personalities intact, and make an plot that can at least amuse the viewers. If you saw the zoo episode in the shippudden filler, you will understand what I mean. Kishimoto might be making good money with the anime, but if I were on his shoes, as an artist, I would be really frustrated of the terrible interpretation the characters I created are recieving.

Oh man, those Fairy Tail filler episodes were freakin awesome, funny, and the best like the race, and the body swaping, as well as Lucy going insane about thinking about what Natsu wants from her (Can't recall if that was from the actual chapter though that part). Makes me think, how come certain Naruto Shippuden fillers aren't like that? Either it's going to be really mean nothing in the long run and its not even fun (which sometimes it should be all about, being entertained), or really over the top, where the producers are trying too hard to be "funny" and that its just going to leave some sort of bad taste in people's mouth.

Edited by Anguyen92, 22 November 2011 - 04:49 PM.

[Toasty Warrior]

Anything to do with Perriot, let's just say I'd much rather avoid it like the plague since they are like one to Naruto in general.

[Phantom_999]

Just imagine if they killed off Sakura....

Oh many will be jumping for joy saying "YES!!!!! NOW NARUTO CAN MAKE BABIES WITH HINATA!!!!!"