So it has ended…
It’s amazing that it finally came to an end. I remember a long time ago, the end for a long-running series sounds surreal and terrifying. I didn’t want anything to end selfishly, but I’ve grown up and I understand that everything has to end at one point. Even One Piece will end. Naruto is one of the series that I grew up in the so called era that everyone likes to call it that consist Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. Oddly enough, I ended up liking the one that is the least popular and at times, I feel like the hate comes from envious, but I digress.
I came here to talk about Naruto. As it transitions to Boruto in the following week, the journey of Naruto has reached to the conclusion. Although I learned that everything has to end, it is a bit unnerving feeling because of experience. Some would take it as a funeral, some would take it as a sad but life goes on, and some would take it as another one bite the dust.
I fallen to the third option yet I didn’t intend to feel that way.
I often joke that my standards has become too retro in today’s society. I joke because as many have known, society has gotten way too comfortable for their own good. I don’t want to bring an argument against PC. I brought this up because Naruto ends on a right time where the standards are too easy to please. I at times think Kishimoto don’t need to work hard to create a solid sob story that actually worth noting, rather than someone heavily criticize it. It’s like a student project that believed his/her movie is Oscar tier yet the judge would place it in D+ level. Basically, Naruto no longer need to try hard.
While I was watching the finale of Naruto Shippuuden, and yes, I saw the rest of the arc, I thought to myself, “Why are these characters ending the series?” It’s a strange and ironic choice to end on. The only good part is Iruka himself, but I can see why some are turned off by it. I saw it good because it has that moment of Naruto and Iruka having a talk before the Wedding Day. I thought it was nice on the way it goes for Iruka, as well as fitting to his character.
That said the episode continues to drag on for its long composition of the Wedding and to me, this was a major problem. It should have cut shorter on Iruka searching for an answer or after Naruto and Iruka finish talking, cut to the wedding and end on a perfect note. Instead, it feels rather incomplete. The conversation was the only real “tear jerker” moment. Other than that, the last half didn’t feel all that special.
One of the major problems is how shallow it feels, but I can’t blame on the writer in a way. It has to go to the manga itself. The side characters hardly did a lot to contribute for their own standalone arc in a way. Not to mention, why end with them? I was expecting Naruto to go “Who are you?” For a series that has Naruto as the focus, he sure doesn’t get any final saying, which is actually weirder than the manga ending.
As for the last half, it was strange. We don’t get to see the marriage. Okay, fine, that’s fine. Then, we don’t get any impactful words to end on a high note. Instead, we congratulate him for the marriage. I understand the idea is that the side characters are the one to show appreciation but here’s the question:
Wouldn’t a Hokage Ceremony be the best time to do so?
In fact, it would remain true to the overall story. How is that hard to pull that off? Instead, I got an ending that feels like it could have been acceptable if it was a different story altogether. I was expecting something like,
“Thank you for your support! We hope you enjoyed Nisek- No… Naruto!”
The ending truly benefited on Hinata because how much focus she received. If you were to give me this ending and I didn’t know Naruto, I would honestly think it’s a Shoujo manga. I honestly would think the story is that there’s this guy named Naruto that Hinata, the protagonist, wants his love but things happen and here we are. It’s a bit bewildered. It’s like all the sudden this is what we were building up for. As if it pulls off the similar ending from another manga in which I won’t spoil, only that series have a powerful meaning. I should talk about that series one day.
The finale is not that bad, honestly, but since it’s the finale, it’s lackluster. It doesn’t feel like we accomplish anything nor got what we waited for. It’s like if One Piece ends, we never get to see the grand treasure One Piece itself. In other words, I feel ripped off. Yes, there’s the manga, but fans want things to be absolute, so this feels rather odd choice to end on. It’s not even in the manga. Look, I would let you slide and give you the benefit to say that it’s canon materials. That’s fine; however, it still didn’t feel special enough to be satisfied.
I did laugh hysterically that Sakura felt alone due to many of them were getting together (ShikaTema/SaiIno). But suddenly, a hawk that was meant for Naruto somehow lifted Sakura spirit up as if to say, “This isn’t mine but I damn well make it into one!” Yeah, that makes sense.
The main question is, is it better than Naruto Manga ending? Well, that depends on how you see it. If you want Naruto to fulfill his goal, concrete and all, manga is your choice. If you want more of a thank you contribution, despite the lacking developments, anime is your choice. It’s “choose your poison” if you don’t like the ending.
Well, it finally ended. I can see why people are sad about it and honestly, despite on what I said about standards, I don’t blame them. I respect that they felt that way. It’s just when it comes to me, I have nothing to say or any grief about it. It finally ending and that’s all there to it. It’s another journey that comes to an end though perhaps best to leave it as a memory forever on.
