3406 replies to this topic

[KnS]

I agree with Ani completely.

I do agree with Tricksie that elements of this chapter did sting, but I figured it would. I was totally expecting things to get more Hinata-centric before it was over.

Overall, my opinion is unchanged from what I said in my #614 post. This is Hinata's development. She got what she wanted, and her character has finally made some progress. Some. It was looking good for her until she said the stupid thing about holding Naruto's hand making her feel safe. One step forward, two steps back. *sigh*

And I believe James S Cassidy is right to question if this in any way proves that Hinata has Naruto's heart. As I said in my post about #614, as much as Hinata needed to grow up and be an equal, Naruto needed to learn to accept help and, as Kurama so hilariously put it, to stop blubbering. (IMO, Kishimoto's interjection of Kurama at that moment served to align Hinata's purpose as inspirational to Naruto.)

I admit I am surprised that the hand-holding was initiated by Naruto, and it's a big moment for Hinata -- no question. It's what she wanted. But as James said, it's so exactly what she wanted -- and happened the way she wanted it -- that it seems... complete.

The way I see it, Naruto accepted Hinata's willingness to die for him, not necessarily her love. You'll notice that the way Hinata inspired Naruto -- everything that was mentioned was about his ideals and goals -- had nothing to do with her love for him, it was all about his pivotal role in the war and what he stands for. As it should be.

Hinata said, "Always going ahead and never going back on one's words. That's my ninja way too." It's an interesting subtextual reminder that Naruto has unresolved issues that he won't be backing away from -- his feelings for Sakura and saving Sasuke -- and which are yet to come.

Also? You'll notice still no "Hinata-chan." Just saying. And Sakura-chan, standing there watching Hinata with Naruto...? Bloody hell. This thing is so far from over, you guys, so don't lose your cool.

Kishimoto is an evil, evil man. LOL Although it's painful, I kind of love that he dropped this cliffhanger in our laps before a break.

P.S. When all the shipping nonsense dies down (assuming it does), there are a few interesting things about the other panels to discuss -- the inclusion of the single panel of Obito/Rin, for example. In my opinion, it begs a very obvious question.......

[tricksie]

Crap I posted this the wrong thread (the spoiler one), so copy-paste no jutsu it is

I'm usually a lurker (more active in NF), but: small LAP incoming!

lap --Click here to view--

It's okay to reevaluate NH's stand, but don't give up guys it's too early for that, and honestly, who did not see the NH fanservice coming a mile away? it's been obvious NH was going to be addressed the moment Hinata started getting so much panel time.

Here is the thing: since this is indeed the final chunk of the manga and Hinata has got no relevance to the core plot and bonds, which will, without a doubt, be the next focus once this facet of the battle has come to an end, the time to address her and give her her time to shine is right now - because afterward she will have to fade into the scenery, along everyone else not Team 7 / Sasuke related.

Sakura does not have this problem because she is part of said core bonds. As such, her focus can wait for once the plot itself demands for it. There is a big difference between that and fanservice, which is why Sakura fans have got to wait a bit longer for it (just like those of us who are looking forward to Sasuke and Taka's side of the storyline) while Kishi sets everything up and lets the Rookie get their deserved spotlight (which their fans have been waiting for since the beginning of time).

Now, the thing here is that anything Hinata related does, indeed, end up having some relation to Naruto himself (and as such NH) because that's pretty much her defining trait, as we all know. But that does not mean Kishi is suddenly changing his mind when it comes to what pairing he supports - didn't we get a full movie this year drilling that point into our skulls? Kishi is not that fickle, especially not when it comes to a bond he has been developing since Chapter 3 - it just means he is delivering what he promised: "all our favorite characters are going to be shining together! everything from here onward will be a highlight!". Hinata is nowhere near my favorite characters; but a huge portion of the fandom disagrees, and you bet popularity polls are indeed going to be taken into account when it comes to panel time distribution to what is essentially the last chance to see them getting a fair amount of spotlight.

IMHO this chapter here is actually not that bad, because it's actually serving a point, one character-development related - Hinata is achieving everything she, herself, said she would. She wanted to walk by his side and hold his hand, didn't she? Kishi made her say that for a very specific reason: this chapter. Not only that, but she got to cheer him up and give him a push just like how he has always done for her. She stood up for herself as well: this is a very important step for her, and now that it's been achieved, we will most likely simply see it pay off for a while to please readers (and stir us, pairing fans lol) and then move to more important matters.

Were there some really nice panels in this chapter? Indeed there were! If I were a NH fan, I would be over the moon But as a NS fan, I'm not concerned due to everything I mentioned above - and also because while Kishi could have made this all about Hinata, he snuck the Kyuubi in, a reference to Naruto's parents, so on so forth. And hey, we even got a very very random Sakura panel - the biggest Sakura panel we have gotten since she arrived to the battlefield, at that. There's an intention there - don't forget the face Sakura made when she realized Hinata loved Naruto.

So yeah, point is: there'll probably be more NH for a while. So just be patient and don't forget the bigger picture: everything Kishimoto has been building up until now. Once the plot allows for it, Sakura will get her time and so will NaruSaku so don't lose hope~

Great, great post! Glad you reposted so it didn't get lost in the spoiler thread!

[Nefertieh]

He only hold her hand to pass he's chakra >.> we are not in kindergarden people, its just holding hands. If Naruto would have grabbed Hinata's ass to pass he's chakra, Then i would call canon

Or it would be a felony.

[kidNinja]

If you, or anyone else wants to sink with the ship, go ahead. I have no problem for you going down with a pairing you love. But I wont go down with you.

Well maybe you should get off the ship now if that's the case. We're at a NH harbor, board their ship then.

[RikutoShika]

Oh and i forgot to ask, theres gonna be a chapter next week or are they gonna take a break?

[rocci]

Oh and i forgot to ask, theres gonna be a chapter next week or are they gonna take a break?

break for two week

[kidNinja]

Oh and i forgot to ask, theres gonna be a chapter next week or are they gonna take a break?

Two week break unfortunately. So hunker down because we haven't even received the full brunt of the NH assault yet.

[fireandice]

Lol, everybody knows where I stand on this. Like I said on the first page, it's gut-check time. Everybody who TRULY rides for NS will make it through this but all of the bandwagoners and pretenders will hit the bricks.

I agree.

SORRY for the LAP...

Though yes I will say these chapters do give NH-ers more legs to stand upon with regarding development. That, we can't deny. What we DON'T know, is Kishi's intentions behind this scene. He could indeed be using it to lead up to NaruHina. Or he could be intending to give Hinata her development that comes nicely full circle with what she said when they were entering the battlefield and from the beginning of the series- Naruto inspired her when she felt like giving up, and now SHE's reminding him not to give up when he was considering doing so (E.g His hand actually stretching out to Obito for one moment.)

I don't like NH so I wish it was Sakura instead, but I will admit it is a nice bit of symbolism done.

I also agree with posters who mentioned that Kishi did not make it just about Hinata- there was the Kyuubi right there, jumping in to add something. Plus Hinata, despite her feelings, was speaking about everyone, not just herself. So while yes, NH-ers COULD use this moment to support their pairing, us NS-ers don't have to lose heart because the interpretation isn't set in stone as none of us can read Kishi's mind. As a literary device, Kishi used Hinata to vocalise what ties everybody together.

Plus Naruto is pretty oblivious (I like people like you!) romance-wise...it's not like he blushed when she put her hand on his cheek or held her hand. I know it's a war zone but notice how much more he blushes when it's Sakura (confession, feeding him etc.), he is more conscious of Sakura in a way he isn't towards Hinata.

I would also seriously have a fit if SasuSaku became canon, NaruHina is at least somewhat more tolerable than that. But note Kishi often foreshadows stuff. He foreshadowed what Hinata said in this chapter, the ten tails etc. That entire scene when Sakura was treating a ninja who had a crush on her, and he said whoever she loved must be a really great guy. But she wasn't happy when she thought of Sasuke. She was upset because EVEN though Naruto rekindled hope that Sasuke could be redeemed after he almost killed her, she still knows he ISN'T a great guy.

Anyways, this is also the final ride. Kishi said Naruto would probably end in 2014 didn't he? That means as much drama as possible...we're not quite at the end yet. Why resolve the romantic pairing of the main character here, from a climax-building point of view, if there's still more drama to be had?

Just my two cents!

[Nefertieh]

Well maybe you should get off the ship now if that's the case. We're at a NH harbor, board their ship then.

Let's not fight...

[Lady_duckish]

Well, all I can say is that I'm glad I read the comments before reading the chapter.

All I have to say is, what about Naruto's feelings for Sakura? I can't believe that Kishimoto would just completely brush them under the rug and have him suddenly have feelings for Hinata - that's where my hope in all of this lies. There has to be some resolution of Naruto's feelings for Sakura (unless Kishi is a much worse writer than I thought he was, which is possible).

And then of course, there's Sakura's reaction to consider, along with how it may possibly tie in with her expression in 442 thinking that Hinata loved Naruto.

And while I haven't given up hope by any stretch of the imagination, it sucks balls that this is what we get right before a two week break. Ugh. Whatever resolution there is for Naruto and Sakura's relationship is probably a long way in the future, unfortunately.

At this point, I'll be happy to just see Sakura get to see any significant action in this battle. I can only hope that Hinata's character spotlight is over relatively soon, because I don't know how much more of her I can honestly stomach.

The bold is something to hold onto. Naruto's feelings for Sakura extend all the way back to the first few chapters of this freaking story. You can't just lock him up with someone else and not properly resolve his feelings for Sakura. You want to have him move past his feelings for Sakura? I think that sucks, but still he could have at least let them talk about her confession and where their feelings for each other stand before having another character kind of steal her thunder. It's his manga, but it seems kind of messy. As of now, its easy to feel like the only thing left for Sakura to do is confess one more time to Sasuke in hopes of him returning her feelings. Not cool or respectful of a character you started off so strong, and then kind of just left her there to blow in the wind.

[RikutoShika]

Maybe Obito will kill Hinata in the next chapter A guy can dream can he?

[neoshadow]

When all the shipping nonsense dies down (assuming it does), there are a few interesting things about the other panels to discuss -- the inclusion of the single panel of Obito/Rin, for example. In my opinion, it begs a very obvious question.......

I'm curious about that too, is it just Obito remembering Rin and remembering why he chose to do what he has done. Or does he think Hinata is the one Naruto loves or something, it's all very interesting that combined with the random panel of Sakura listening to Hinata's speech, they're both somewhat out of place.
I do find it interesting that whenever NaruHina have moments or her feelings are brought up, the focus almost always shifts to Sakura at some point.

Edited by neoshadow, 27 December 2012 - 06:33 AM.

[MakeMoneyEatRice]

You know what? kitten that, reading some of your posts just gave me hope that there's still a chance for Narusaku. I just know that there are NH Fans on this website reading these posts expecting us to completely lose hope in the pairing, I know I said that I gave up on Narusaku (nearly an hour ago) but some of you guys just gave me faith and hope even if this actually means NH is canon. I'm going to stand strong. The bond between Naruto and Sakura is too strong to be broken that easily, these past two weeks have not been ours..

..DON'T GIVE UP YET!

Attached Files

•  Narusaku_family.jpg   250.6KB   22 downloads

[Transformers03]

I admit I am surprised that the hand-holding was initiated by Naruto, and it's a big moment for Hinata -- no question. It's what she wanted. But as James said, it's so exactly what she wanted -- and happened the way she wanted it -- that it seems... complete.

Yeah, of what I've read everything seems done with her character development. That it feels so complete that it is quite literally finish..........but that still doesn't mean Naruhina wont become canon. But it does make it seem off, though everything that happen in this chapter could lead into something more...

Edited by Transformers03, 27 December 2012 - 06:35 AM.

[kidNinja]

You know what? kitten that, reading some of your posts just gave me hope that there's still a chance for Narusaku. I just know that there are NH Fans on this website reading these posts expecting us to completely lose hope in the pairing, I know I said that I gave up on Narusaku (nearly an hour ago) but some of you guys just gave me faith and hope even if this actually means NH is canon. I'm going to stand strong. The bond between Naruto and Sakura is too strong to be broken that easily, these past two weeks have not been ours..

..DON'T GIVE UP YET!

Glad to hear that man. You were just in the heat of the moment.

[Hiraishin]

- Also, Naruto's saying to the Kyuubi that "I don't want to abandon my friends or the bonds I've made." Could certainly be a reference to NS in the midst of all this. To mention the bonds as something separate from his friends. I could only think of those early comments about precious people and establishing those bonds. So maybe that's a bright spot!?

God, I hope so. I really want to see Naruto and Sakura's bond be focused on for once, especially after these last few chapters.

P.S. When all the shipping nonsense dies down (assuming it does), there are a few interesting things about the other panels to discuss -- the inclusion of the single panel of Obito/Rin, for example. In my opinion, it begs a very obvious question.......

I noticed that, too. This just makes me think, even more than I did before, that the ObiRin/NaruSaku parallel will come up... It was out of nowhere, similar to the Sakura panel we got. Even when we get NaruHina, we always get NS soon afterwards, or are reminded of it in someway, subtly...

And I love that Kurama showed up again. Love him.

Edited by mydearbeloved, 27 December 2012 - 06:42 AM.

[James S Cassidy]

I'm not saying that you should give up hope, or that any pairing is canon yet. In fact, I'm trying to encourage the opposite of that. I list off some of the Narusaku moments to remind others that it still happen, and I didn't even mention the parallels (even the uncanny Obirin/Narusaku parallel). Past development is still in our favor, but this recent chapter is showing a different picture. Others have made several interesting views about the chapter that may support NS, NH seems more possible than ever before. While I am encouraging hope, I'm also saying we should be realistic.

I am not ignoring the truth mind you. I am not going to make up facts or say something to change the situation to make it seem more or less than what it is. I am just saying I am never going to jump ship. I am also wondering if like many situations that have occurred before is this going to be swept under the rug.

As I said, realistically speaking, this would not be the first time Naruto was oblivious to a romantic advance. This would not be the first time Naruto has done something heroic or romantic and again thought nothing of it. Even in the movies he was also depicted a such.

If this gets brushed off by Naruto, I would not be surprised.

If you, or anyone else wants to sink with the ship, go ahead. I have no problem for you going down with a pairing you love. But I wont go down with you.

I am sorry, but then you are not a true NaruSaku fan. No offense. I don't even know why you are on this ship if you are so keen to leave it as soon as it sinks. It is nothing about being delusional or rabid, but rather having loyalty and conviction. You can choose to jump off now if you wish, but I rather have conviction in doing what I love and anyone should respect that. It's the same line as when your favorite baseball teams loses all the time. Why do you still follow them? I don't know. You just do.

I am tired of people confusing loyalty with being delusional and it is happening a lot. Especially now. "You just don't see the truth." I see the truth, doesn't mean it I am going to change my mind.

That's why I posted that mockery of the 300 speech.

[rocci]

Naruto ship war cycle

it begin with SS
it continue with NH
it end with NS

[Atheck]

Despite the reassurances I'll admit that it was very damaging. Not just to the ship but to our hearts and minds as well. Here we've invested so much time and effort into this pairing and now we're watching it get disregarded in place of this repugnant, out of nowhere interaction with someone whom I'm really beginning to hate. We should maintain our composure and hold on to see what happens but at times it just becomes overwhelming. Especially with all the panels we've been receiving lately of Naruto and Hinata acting closely together. It sounds ridiculous to get so worked up over a pairing in a Japanese comic book but to me it just means alot.

I'm going to remain steadfast but perhaps some of us who were really shook up by this chapter should back away for some time to try and clear our minds of the whole ordeal. Mind you I'm suggesting this only to the people who were really impacted by this chapter. It might be good to get away for awhile and focus on other things in our lives. I'm torn on whether to do that myself actually. But like others have said the storm is coming and we have to endure it. Whether that means remaining on the forums and keeping up to date on the current Naruto fandom news or taking a sabbatical to get it off your mind is up to you.

[Awes9]

I'm not sure Hinata's development is over, i wonder how much Hinata will we have to stomach ?

Anyway don't you find it interesting that the only panel we get from Sakura was focusing on her personal reaction to the scene ? I mean most panels of Sakura before that were just Sakura in the background, this one implied a personal reaction to what she was seeing and she seemed a bit shocked, no others characters were show reacting to the scene apart from Obito.
Still it's a bit sad the only thing we have to talk about Sakura is one panel of her, or her being in the background while Hinata gets the spotlight I really can't stand any of that anymore and the worse is that I know we will have more Hinata in the upcoming chapters.