Shourai

I can't facepalm hard enough. 

Seriously, Japan even has signs about groping. I guess they couldn't read.

No, but it's been difficult. Instead of getting attached to a series, it's become more of a passive experience--I still ship, but very lightly.

For Naruto, I'll always ship NS, but I don't think I'll be braving the fandom any time soon.

Honestly, at this point, it just feels like a mediocre doujin. 

If only. 

I'm a bit mixed on this. I don't regret being a fan, per se, but I do regret that I continued to follow the series after the Pein Arc. To think that I could've stopped then and avoided the following years of trash and character assassinations... 

This is a tough one. Yes and no, I suppose. Maybe a little more towards Yes.
 I followed Naruto for 10+ years and it was one giant step into leading me into the anime world. Helped me appreciate subs and I had a great time connecting with people and friends through Naruto. I really enjoyed and loved the series...but the end...I regret it because of the heartbreak. I loved the characters, story and NaruSaku so much. I loved the comedy, I loved the deep themes of bonds, watching the characters grow...and everything that came with it. I was passionate about it. The story and characters (aside from Hinata) meant -THAT- much to me.

But...everything turned into a disgusting, 15 year lie. Not only that, it was shoved and scrubbed right into our faces with no shame. It disgusts me as an ex-fan and as someone who enjoys reading. It hurts as an ex-fan too. I'm STILL hurt. I can't look at anything Naruto without feeling my blood turn cold for a brief moment. Or without a slight sneer. I can't talk about it without it turning into an angry rant. So all in all...I just try to avoid it. I come here once in a while and I'm curious to see how the series is failing. Because that seems to be the only time I can ease the pain. Is by watching it crash and burn. To know I'm not the only one who was hurt by Kishimoto's horrible choices and Studio Pierrot's disgusting, perverted otaku obsession with Hinaturd.

 

It's also nice to watch fans unite. The NaruSaku fans, the SasuKarin fans, the SasuHina fans and SasuNaru fans have practically combined powers. Focusing more on NaruSaku and SasuNaru since both fandoms are really sizable. Heck, the SasuNaru fans are a powerful friend. I never shipped SasuNaru and I never liked it. But I can honestly say that I would have preferred it rather than the crap dripping ending we were given.

 

But all in all...I'm just hurt and bitter about the series. I know I should be over it, but I'm not. It's...kind of rare for me to get really passionate about things. Naruto was one of those gems...but that gem ended up being a dollar store piece of plastic.

It angers me to know that there are possibly at least a few other people who feel the same as me. Who now have trust issues with authors. Who used adore shipping and now cringe at the idea of a series that has more than one love interest for the same person. Who now looks at all this new anime with disgust whenever I see any hint of Otaku culture. Which is in a horribly large amount of anime series these days.

 

Miyazaki was right. I never doubted him, but I don't think I ever felt the weight of his words as much as I do now.

I'm one of those few others. 

In the months since the ending, I've found it impossible to finish watching any new anime--mainly because, as soon as another love interest is introduced, I lose interest entirely. 

And I typically avoid otaku-influenced anime like the plague anyway.