I've finally received permission from ship-manifesto to post it!
So ladies and gentlemen:
- over 30,000 words
- 50,000 if you count the Why I favour NaruSaku over SasuSaku ghost annexe
- representing a collective NSLAP experience over nearly 2 years
- the essay itself requiring over half a year for completion (work began in February 2006)
- dozens of quoted scenes
- um... a Lot of images, including gifs sequences
All of which to present NaruSaku, not as one concept, but the combination of many. Not as one scene, but a continuity, an ongoing development. Putting forward just about every aspect: its development, its natural, its psychology. Also answering some frequent arguments.
I bring you, my greatest essay to date, in content, organization or presentation:
~ NaruSaku Manifesto Part 1: Don't worry, because I'm here ~
Presentation of the characters
I. Naruto.
I.1. Enter Naruto, the troublemaker!
I.2. A child plagued with a heavy burden, and trying desperately to find acknowledgement.
II. Haruno Sakura
II.1. Strong, understanding, perfect... ah who am I kidding. Enter Sakura: shallow, naive and presumptuous. And rather useless.
II.2. Sakura, a normal child, who through events far beyond her... was forced to grow up.
Manga part I: You don't have to notice me, but I'm right here
I. Naruto to Sakura: From a crush (although not unfounded) to selfless devotion
I.1. The comedic crush! And the very bad start.
I.2. The fairytale, and the realization of why he truly liked her
I.3. Go Sakura! Cheering on the girl he put his faith into.
I.4. As the difficulties arise again... Naruto shows his true devotion
I.5. A glimpse at maturity: selflessness, at the cost of his own happiness...
II. Sakura to Naruto: from rejection based on misunderstanding, to gradual acknowledgement and... trust
II.1. The original misunderstanding, and the shallow start
II.2. From slow acceptance, to acknowledgement of Naruto's spirit
II.3. The beginnings of companionship: this time, cheering each other on
II.4. And gradually... a developing fondness, and contemplation
II.5. As things degrade, the beginning of trust
III. The promise of a lifetime, and the promise to go together!
III.1. The promise of a lifetime
III.2. Naruto vs Sasuke: a battle between brothers...
III.3. The promise to go together!
Conclusion of part 1
~ NaruSaku Manifesto Part 2 - I'm here too, we'll become stronger together! ~
Part 2: Free of prejudices, now it all begins! A new understanding, but also new difficulties.
I. NaruSaku in times of peace: Underneath the fireworks, a "shining young girl's heart"!
I.1. Let's start with the fireworks! "Monster strength" vs "You bastard! You still don't understand a woman's feelings!"
I.2. Underneath the fireworks: genuine comraderie!
I.3. Underneath the underneath: genuine fondness for one another
I.4. And maybe a bit of tenderness
I.5. Mutual admiration and respect: Heaven and Earth! A relationship between equals!
II. The difficulties begin... NaruSaku in times of need: finding in each other the will to move forward
II.1. Sakura lives up to her end of the relationship: this time, I'll be the one to protect them!
II.2. Care for each other's feelings... but also fear of hurting the other
II.3. To overcome these times of difficulties: drawing strength from each other
The next step, and the conclusion of part 2: out of the cyclical, into the mutual
Foreword to the pairing study: does Naruto "Deserve" Sakura?
~ NaruSaku Manifesto Part 3: Why NaruSaku? Because being there for each other is the greates gift of all ~
I. NaruSaku, and their influence on each other: always aiming higher
I.1. Matching strength with strength: doing the best for each other!
I.2. Matching weakness with strength: the power to never fall into despair!
I.3. The result of this influence: equals, companions
II. NaruSaku, the "couple"!
II.1. NaruSaku, the "natural" pair! Natural selves, Natural interactions, and Natural "attraction"
II.2. Naruto and Sakura: they haven't changed, but they've grown!
II.3. Underneath the underneath: a relationship that has grown as well!
III. A walk in the park! An ongoing journey, a mere work in progress
III.1. The gradual development: never huge steps, never intrusive, just slow foundations being built up
III.2. In the end, a slow, ongoing development, but one I feel is more complete as a result: a build-up without "shortcuts"
III.3. This is why I enjoy being a NaruSaku fan: watching a relaxing process unfold
IV. The psychology behind NaruSaku!
IV.1. Because similars attract. And interact. And build happy relationships
IV.2. A gradually developing intimacy: not eye to eye yet perhaps, but each feeling for the other
IV.3. NaruSaku, a companionate love
Conclusion!
~ Epilogue: The NaruSaku Manifesto Annex ~
I. NaruSaku Fandom Recommendations!
I.1. NaruSaku communities and general resources!
I.2. NaruSaku Fanart Recommendations!
I.3. Fanfic Recommendations
II. Silly annex: NaruSaku as a married couple?
II.1. The Hokage and the First Lady!
II.2. NaruSaku as a couple at home: the Yoshino of the Uzumaki household!
II.3. An incredibly well-rounded and powerful shinobi: NaruSaku kids!
III. Answers to frequent common arguments for and against NaruSaku
IV. Final words and thanks!
Comments to the manifesto go to the first post there. Enjoy! :thumbs:
No problem! ^__^ Even I have trouble reading it in one go. Beta-ing gave me headaches... I was really surprised that someone else has already finished reading it. XP
Yes, Congratulations. A very impressive piece of work, though it's going to take me a grt while to through it all. Thank you for this massive contribution to the NaruSaku community.
I don't have to be in class for another hour and I can ditch biology tomorrow, I vow to finish this by the end of tomorrow or I will do 500 laps around Konoha on my hands!
Ha, there will be no laps around Konoha for this reader as of 5:45 mountain standard. That was a fantastic read and should in fact be introductory reading for this place, some part of a membership packet or something like that.
O.O Wow. That is a freakin' HUGE amount of work. KUDOS! Yeah!! This should be posted just about everywhere. We must sway the opinion of the rest of the crowd! wOOt! Anyway, great job, and I look forward to finishing it.... someday I hope... ehhehehe...
Thanks for the comments everyone! Once you've all finished reading it, mind posting a small comment in the comments section of the manifesto? =D
A higher number of comments would make it stand out more, therefore getting more people curious about the awesomeness that is NaruSaku, thus getting more converts! =D Besides, it's not cheating. You Did comment after all. Just not there. =O
Wonderful. Eloquently, methodically, and apparently objectively put. I found the link on Kaze's livejournal and raced over here after reading it to make sure the people knew, and found this here. Well done, and thanks for the Annex.
Thank you all thank you all. Don't forget to leave a word at the manifesto page if you can! :3
Though uh... fess-up, people. How many of you read the manifesto without waiting for the media to load, as I've just found out some people have done? The media is worth it, really. Particularly in part 3.
Congratulations on a well written, well explained essay. Took me around an hour or more to read it all and has just made me fall in love with NaruSaku all over again! I have been anticipating this manifesto since the beginning...( is a narutofan lurker ) and am just wowed at all the thoroughness.
Oh and by media you mean the animated pics right?
oh and do you believe that if given proper development, Naruto and Sakura will achieve consummate love?
That was so awesome. You even presented arguments against it and everything! Are you on a debate team or something? In any case, good job!
If you decide to undertake updating it for new chapters, I'll be there to read it.
P.S.- I LURVED that part where it said something like, "If other pairings are chocolate, then NaruSaku is a nice fresh salad." I TOTALLY agree. (I salad.)
Location:Somewhere funny I can't think of a the moment....
Interests:There's a difference between the things that I do and what interest me.
Posted 11 November 2006 - 01:37 AM
Great essay. Shows good points, and you really got your feelings out. Most essays are " SasuSaku sucks, I like NaruSaku FIN". You backed up your words with hardcore evedince. It was awesome