In my case, Naruto was released onto Cartoon Network around 2004 or 2005 and I remember really liking the show even though I didn’t get to see it very often due to it coming on after my bedtime as a kid. I could occasionally catch an episode here and there when my family was at a friend’s house and I was allowed to watch the TV while they visited, but those times were few and far in-between. Then around 2006 I went to a different school and started doing poorly, so I wasn’t allowed to watch much TV, so Naruto kind of slipped off my radar for a long time…or at least it was to me since a year for a kid is basically an eternity times infinity.
Fast forward to 2007. I was entering into the 7th grade and went back to my original school due to being treated as an outcast at the other one. 7th grade and 8th grade were probably my best years of school, and if given the option of re-doing a few grades, these are the two I would pick without a second thought.
Anyway, at this time my grades were doing much better because I was able to take a study hall and have some one-on-one time with a teacher to help me catch up with my classes, and thus was allowed to have a TV in my room for my video games and shows I wanted to watch instead of my dad hogging the remote all the time. I don’t remember what time of the year it was, but I was watching Cartoon Network and an ad for Naruto came on. My eyes immediately widened, and my attention was completely captured since Naruto was a show I hadn’t heard about for ages at the time.
The movie “Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom” was being advertised, and I set it to record that weekend on DVR. At the time, the movie was amazing to me. It had fast paced action, awesome magical spells, and an intense moment where Naruto released the 9-tailed fox and pounded the crap out of the three evil ninjas. I watched that movie routinely as if my life depended on it for the longest time and recorded every single episode of Naruto that came on TV over the weekends.
To this day, that movie probably remains my favorite of the Naruto movies and holds a special place in my heart. It takes me back to a much simpler time as a kid without the annoyance of social media and every person I know constantly being on their cell phones.
At school I would watch episodes of Naruto online during our computer hour. We had a very small class and rarely had any assignments to do, so I was able to watch Naruto for a whole hour during school. This was great for me because I lived 15 miles outside of town and had no internet at home.
I watched Naruto every chance I got, and even got in trouble for watching it a few times, but it was worth it. But the main reason I was drawn to the show was because of how poorly Naruto was treated. I wasn’t that much different from him so I actually had a character I could connect to and use as a role model. And I can’t deny that I might have had the biggest crush on Sakura back in the day as well. And let’s not forget the soundtrack either! My God, as soon as the music kicked in you knew kitten was about to get real! And with the exception of Fairy Tail, Naruto is probably my number 1 soundtrack.
I thought part 1 was good, though it was by no means perfect. Sakura was annoying, Sasuke was a brat, and Naruto was, well, Naruto. Then I got into Shippuden and I was captivated by it so much more!
