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Nate River

Member Since 09 Sep 2005
Offline Last Active Jan 09 2023 11:01 PM

Posts I've Made

In Topic: Name Change Request Thread

26 December 2022 - 10:59 PM

Hello been a member for a while now. Took a break and coming back. Can I change my name to Sunora pls?

 

Sorry for the delay, but you login/display name have been changed to Sunora.

In Topic: Name Change Request Thread

13 December 2022 - 08:35 PM

Hello been a member for a while now. Took a break and coming back. Can I change my name to Sunora pls?

 Sorry for the delay, I will take care of it when I get home today.

In Topic: Kakashi should have actually trained Sakura.

28 September 2022 - 03:34 PM

To be frank, Sakura’s character is fine as it is. It was never a problem. It is when there is biased double standards comparing her to Hinata is my issue with the whole thing. Would I like to see Sakura in action more? Sure but I never expected too much out of it and what we got is fine.

 

If I had an issue with her, it's on her use. Kishimoto seemed to really struggle finding ways to keep her involved in the plot. Naruto and Sasuke were Part of Team 7, but the core conflict of Part 2 wasn't about Team 7, it was about Naruto and Sasuke and Team 7 one aspect of their lives. I  She cared about them too, but she wasn't part of the metaphysical aspect of their conflict. Kakashi's experience and mentor-type status as well as Obito being one of the final villains kept Kakashi involved, but she really didn't have anything like that either. From a strategic standpoint, having her as a medic was a good idea because in their like a work having medical assistance on site would be invaluable, but it didn't integrate well into a series were combat prowess is often a currency to relevance, especially in Part 2 where be able to fling the biggest jutsu became more and more important. It also didn't help that rather than focused missions that might has multiple fights scattered over the course a mission (like the wave arc), it became more like DBZ in nature.

 

As far as Kakashi training her, I can't recall what I may have through in the past, but now its far more a writing issue than a Kakashi issue. You can make an argument that he sucked, but its clear that Kishimoto was not meaning to convey or even imply it as there is nothing from Sakura that suggest she saw it the way many fans did and as Bail said, its clear off screen training occurred and Kishimoto just never really followed up on it. 

 

It also clear, that by this point he had decided on them having them having individual mentors. People have criticized Kakashi for his treatment of Naruto, but I think Kishimoto just wanted him get set up Jiriaya. The point wasn't supposed to be Kakashi sucks, it was how do I get him to meet Jiriaya. In the process he makes a classic show don't tell mistake. I think in universe Ebisu is supposed to be a legitimately good instructor who is a poor fit for Naruto, but his treatment as a joke character while on screen undercuts this and got Kakashi accused of blowing Naruto off. We only know Ebisu is good because the series says so, the only two people who work with him on screen chafe under him. I've also come to appreciate why Kakashi would focus on Sasuke. He was facing a murderous sociopath who had tried to kill an incapacitated opponent. As awful as Neji was to Hinata, Gaara was worse and Sasuke possessed no method of getting past his shield without Chidori. From Kakashi's POV, what move did Sasuke (at the time) possess that would allow him to even damage Gaara? He didn't have Lee's speed. Without Chidori, Sasuke really didn't have the skill set to take out someone as tanky as Gaara was. I think he should have done more to make sure Naruto was more prepped, but Sakura had no upcoming matches and I think it works both ways. If she really wanted additional training during that time period, she could asked for it. 

In Topic: The NEW NaruSaku Debate Thread

26 July 2022 - 02:36 AM

Its more "I'll follow Jiraiya's wishes and try to find the answer." While also reminding Nagato that Jiraiya believed in him, renewing his hope in peace, and placing his trust in Naruto. I don't have a problem with Pein's talk no jutsu. Since finding the answer to world peace or ending the cycle of hatred is difficult.

 

But, I don't think the excuse works in the final battle with Sasuke. Since that was suppose to be a clash of plans that were made from the paths they walked to reach that point. Sasuke gave his stupid Shadow-Hokage terrorize the world straight plan while Naruto had no plan, despite the fact the it was the last battle before the end. Which then led to the problems of Boruto as Naruto's failure to have a plan or even an idea meant the next generation has to repeat the same conflict.

 

This was one reason I’ve been critical of the NaruSasu conflict as a micro version of the world ninja system. It just doesn’t work. Naruto’s lack of plan v. Sasuke’s nonsensical one. As a method of formally burying the Senju-Uchiha (especially since most of them were dead and much of what drove Sasuke at a fundamental level originated from that) it could work with the aspirational idea of taking lessons learned to apply on a larger scale. The struggle to do so would have been an obvious plot line for a sequel that wouldn’t undermine his victory  or goals. 

In Topic: The Great Naruto Discussion Thread

26 July 2022 - 01:22 AM

I hate to bring in Star Wars, but a couple of the things people have said remind me it.

 

I definitely agree that Part 1 needed an additional filler arc that built on the Land of Waves Arc. For anyone familiar with the Red Letter Media Mr. Plinkett reviews of the prequels, one of his criticisms of them was that they didn’t really show any of the Obi-Wan/Anakin adventures and, at least one screen, didn’t act that way very often. the audience was mostly told about them. The NaruSasu friendship has the same issue. The spend most the series at odds and really only had the Land of Waves. There is some in the Chunnin Exams, but that arc does so many things you don’t get a ton of focus. A arc that spent most of that time would have helped the friendship feel the same way Naruto talked about it

 

Regarding what phantom said with respect to Naruto, i agree to an extent. I’m a big believer in the idea that the manga was supposed to end much sooner than it did. Naruto’s character stopped developing after Pain because there was nowhere else for it to go other than Sasuke. I think its one reason everything after it is so bad. Naruto had largely achieved his goals. He wasn’t Hokage, but he could have been named it right then and no one would have complained. Well, it did have one place it could go, but Kishimoto wasn’t willing to prod the weaknesses of Naruto’s worldview, so he stalled out and because a rudderless character. 

 

I actually think the Kage was terrible for the series in that the NaruSasu conflict worked on a micro level but as a solution for al the world’s problems, it doesn’t. If world peace were that simple, we’d have it. For example, the Earth and Water villages had no ties to the main plot and largely did nothing of substance. Brining in Sand and Cloud was fine as Naruto had direct connections with Gaara and Bee. But adding them cut off story threads that could have been used in the sequel without adding anything,

 

As far as the Uchiha are concerned, I actually have come to like the Senju-Uchiha conflict in that I can understand why people did what they did. It was actually a good way to demonstrate the system’s problems. It could have been really effective had it not been confined to a lore dump by resurrected Kage’s at the end of the series.  Well that, and the “love too much” fiasco. That was so bad and just a last ditch effort to resurrect the Uchiha’s negative potrayal throughout the series  If the conflict had been presented much earlier and in different way it could have worked.