I don't know. How about all of those times when she called him an idiot or annoying, or punched him in the face for being "stupid," or punched him for being "perverted." And please, do not throw the Tsundere excuse at me. I know what it is. I don't like it. Don't tell me it's for comedy. I don't find it funny, and no other man should. If the genders were reversed, there would be outrage. It's a double standard, and I don't take it lightly.
Yeah, and where was he when all of the kids of the village treated him like a loser and a nuisance? Where was she when the adults of the village treated him like a monster? Where was she when he had no parents, no friends, no one to love him? You wouldn't call that inconsiderate? I sure would. Of course he acts out as a prankster. How else would be be noticed? How else would she even see him? It's been stated as much in the manga and in the anime countless times, and it's even been established as a critical plot point and staple of his character development. Why was it acceptable for her to see him as undeserving of even the slightest amount of affection or dignity, and yet totally unacceptable for him to try and get her attention by whatever means he could?
Exactly, and it's because she didn't bother to think of how he felt. Which is why she had that look of sharp, painful revalation when Sasuke chastised her for it and pointed out the errors of her thinking. She couldn't even bring herself to be nicer to him even when she knew that she should. It took time before she was, and only after he went above and beyond the call of duty to earn it.
And Naruto was treated that way and worse by the entire village, to the point where the vast majority of them would rather have seen him dead, and would happily murder him if they thought the Hokage would allow it. If she thought it was so important for him to respect her feelings, regardless of how he felt about her, then why was she not practicing what she preached? Why did she not take the time to understand how much he suffered?
She turned down his advances without even bothering to consider whether or not he was sincere because she spent precisely no time trying to undersand how he felt. She didn't bother to consider that he suffered the same thing she has on a much larger, more dangerous and depressing scale. She was just one more person he was seeking attention from, even with the addition of loving her. So if she understood how that felt, then why did she never bother to consider his feelings?
Was he? Well, if that's the case, then why did he not realize it sooner since they have so much history of this? I find it much more likely that he is persistent, and intends to keep his chin up, determined to win her over no matter how many times she turns him down, hits him, or even if she does hate him. You know, sorta like how he was determined to be recognized by everyone else in the village at the time.
I'm not saying that she doesn't care about him, nor am I saying that she doesn't appreciate what he has done for her. I never said that. Clearly she does, more and more as the series went on. But even so, how does her caring for him and appreciating him make the way she used to treat him any more acceptable? How is it justified? In fact, how does it not make her past behavior even more abhorent in hindsight?
Once again, this has nothing to do with whether or not she preferred Sasuke to Naruto then. It has nothing to do with whether or not she cares for Naruto. It has everything to do with how she used to treat him, how he's proven himself to her and earned her respect, how he has earned her love, and how it would make the fans feel if she still insisted on loving Sasuke even after all of it. Whether or not she feels that way is not a choice, it's just how she feels, and we can't fault her for it. But by that same token, it's not the fans' choice to feel angry for the possibility of Naruto being slighted and falling short after everything he has done for her and for the village.
Yes, let's look at how she acted toward Rock Lee. Because I seem to remember her being disgusted by his eyebrows and his hair, calling him "too unique." I remember her dodging his comical eye-heart-kisses as though they were poison darts. I remember her being driven near vomit when he promised to protect her with his life. I only remember her tossing him a grin once he actually made good on that promised and risked his life to save hers.
Look, I'm not saying she hasn't improved. I'm not saying that she hasn't grown up, and that she isn't worthy of Naruto's love. She has, and she is. She's learned that other people have feelings, too, and that they should be considered. Not everything I disliked about her behavior changed, but then again, not everything could. She just wouldn't be the same character if that was the case. All I'm saying is that these characters are not omniscient. They do not know what is going on inside her head. All they can do is guage her intentions by her actions. And whether or not a girl had internal conflict about liking me based on what I'd done for her, if I saw her falling head over heels for another guy, and then hitting me and yelling at me just for being who I am, I would not take kindly to it. Most guys wouldn't, especially not in our country. It hurts, I've experienced it. I do not accept the Tsundere excuse here, because I am not criticizing who she is now, nor am I criticizing who she was destined to become based on her archetype. I am criticizing how it feels to be treated that way, and the fact that Naruto did not deserve that treatment. I am criticizing how it would feel to Naruto if she still preferred Sasuke.
I still like Sakura for how she's developed. I still hope she ends up with Naruto. But after all of the investment in their hopes for her change of heart toward Naruto (romantically speaking), and after all of the thought she's put into what's gone on around her, all of the emotional growth, it is easy to see how some fans would lose respect for her if she relapsed like that. If you are a true fan, then you do not try to justify her every little action regardless of how it made the other characters or fans feel. You own up to her mistakes, her faults and her shortcomings, and you take the journey of improvement with her.
I still like Sakura, and I still support her even though I don't like how she treated Naruto in the beginning. I do not try to make excuses for it, because that's not what a fan should do. Her character is human, deliberately so. What matters is not who she was, but who she has become. And that's exactly why it would matter if she relapsed back into her infatuation with Sasuke.
You speak nothing but the truth that's how I feel about her character, don't get me wrong I feel that way about Naruto too. Sometimes Sakura will try to open up to him and he will his advance with her or diss mist what she have to say plus he always mentioning Sasuke...
Sakura hes been wrong before, but Naruto have a lot of fault too he like to be reminding her that she most always love Sasuke no matter what because he will fix everithing.
Edited by donjoseph19, 26 March 2012 - 03:29 PM.
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