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That FaceBook post is just sad. Why is it that within the fandom Hinata worship must still be commandment number one? I really don't get this; she's no different than any other Moe character. The only accomplishment she's gotten is a meta one: convincing Studio Perriot to forgo the actual love story that Kishimoto was writing (however sloppily it was written is a matter for another time) and bully him into writing a Shojo ending that needed a movie for further explanation. 

 

Probably because in several threads this is constantly stated. Instead of celebrating the good of NS, we lash at the ending and the manga, which, IMO, is unjustly attacked and criticized.

That's it, I can't stand by any longer. Madam, if my good friend James S Cassidy cannot reason with you then perhaps I shall. Yes we do celebrate the good of NaruSaku here, but many of us cannot and will not let the ending be as is. You call BS on the build up and stand by the forced reasoning that it was always meant to be a red herring. To that I say, take a look at this: http://www.narusaku....showtopic=12836

Then after you're done taking a look at that, let me provide for you an example of an actual red herring from a manga that did it right.

During the Water 7 Saga in One Piece, there were two possible candidates to be the sixth member of the Straw Hats: Paulie (whom, if I must spell it out for you, is the red herring) and Franky. At first, very early on, we are led to believe that Paulie would be the logical choice; he's a competent fighter, he easily forms a bond with the Straw Hats, and he knows a thing or two about fixing up ships (which, at that point in the manga, is how most crew members have joined. Luffy needs a navigator, BAM, Nami. Luffy needs a cook, BAM, Sanji, etc., etc.). Then we have Franky who, once again very early on, becomes the Straw Hats' enemy by severely injuring Usopp and stealing the money he was guarding (which in turn leads to his separation from the Straw Hats, but that is neither here nor there).

But then we start to see a change in Franky. We see that through his interactions with Sanji, Nico Robin, and especially Usopp. He sees who the Straw Hats really are and what they were willing to do to save just one of their own. So in turn, he decides to lend them his aid in the rescue. And in the end, while Paulie is still more than capable of kicking all kinds of ass were he to join, it's Franky who ends up joining the Straw Hats thanks to the emotional connections and bonds he was able to make with them.

NaruSaku was not a red herring. Sakura starts off as someone who at the very least acknowledges Naruto's presence and would maybe help him out in a pinch. But then, through the naturally flowing river that is character development, we start to see a change in her as she not only makes more of an effort to better interact with her teammates, most especially with Naruto, she also starts to better herself as a result of those interactions. Naruto and Sakura's bond then slowly stats forming, but it isn't until Shippuden that we see it truly flourish. She worries about his status as a jinchuuriki and about everything he had to and must still endure because of it. During Pain's/Nagato's destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village, it is she and not Hinata who calls out his name, knowing full well that it is in desperation and that it most likely will be in vain. At the same time, she also begins to see another side of Naruto, a side that he mainly tries to hide from her until Sai comes out and basically spells everything out for her because he cannot stand by watch the person who had changed him the most suffer.

And so, after all that, what happens? These two get shafted and we're supposed to accept this as just a natural course of events. No. Just, no. Harry Potter gave more dignity to their characters. The Toy Story franchise gave more dignity to their characters. This series failed in that regard.