NAURTO101

NAURTO101

PAULINK

Channing

What I mean is, traditionally, one anime episode is composed of two chapters worth of manga source material. This means that the anime gradually catches up to the manga, and runs the risk of running out of source material. This is a common problem with anime adapted from manga.

In some cases, they allow the anime to overtake the manga, and then take the series in a completely different direction. In most cases, they create "filler" content in order to allow the manga to get a bit of distance.

Naruto didn't do the latter, for the most part, it was a direct adaptation of the Naruto (Part I) manga. And then it started catching up, and went into "filler hell", meaning that it became nothing but original filler content, for about a year.

When they started Naruto Shippuuden, they started trying to avoid this problem by adding filler to each episode, so that one episode is composed of roughly one chapter of manga, with a considerable amount of filler, IE, they extend the fights, add random extra stuff.

In short: The manga is better, and that's usually a common truth when talking about anime based on manga, much like movies based on books are rarely as good as the original book.

Suzaku

Samos42

Dudemeister

mad_hatter_md01

As for the game, it looks good and sounds like crap.

Trowble (XBL/PSN)

Taco Bell™

moo422

Taco Bell™

Death Note is definitely rad (and actually has a REALLY good English dub!), The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is definitely rad, and Naruto was definitely rad... for a while.

The new Naruto series is shaping up to be just awful. Just awful. There was an hour long episode a couple weeks back that was at least 30 minutes of wind blowing while the characters are staring at each other.

CountChocula

If you want a good anime and i believe the US dubs are ok (I would still go with fansubs) Death Note watch it its only 36ish episodes or read the manga which you can pick up at a book store. I love that manga that is what got me turned on to mangas

stormcrow85

Angryrider

Scazza

KaneTaker

My friend said it best when he read the manga after watching the show: "I kept waiting for all the crappy parts I knew were coming up after watching the show, and they just never came."

The manga is 100x better than the show, I promise. I'm enough of a dork to have read and seen all of them, but I'm not an elitist who froths at the mouth at you about it. I promise it's just that much better. Just google around and you'll find sites that will let you read it in English online - just remember to read right to left (sites tend to organize the pages in the order you need to read it, but you still have to read the pages correctly :) ).

Saxboy

Demonbird

I watch a LOT of anime (japanese language only, dubs are HORRIBLE), and I must say I love Naruto. Yeah, its fairly mainstream as far as anime goes, but the characters are awesome.

Both Bleach and Naruto are excellent animes, and I think its because they have been so long running that you get to know the characters so well. You invest a lot in characters after watching 160+ episodes of them.

If anyone is interested in a GOOD Naruto game, get Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox 360. I enjoyed the living sh*t out of that game (well, once they put the Japanese language track up for download that is). A great mix of adventure/platformer/fighting genres.

Vegan Shinigami

Note: Dragonball (the original or Z) didn't invent Shonen manga. What it DID do was add a level of art that was unprecedented for (what started as) a comedy series and featured action sequences to rival any straight action comic.

As for all the Naruto games being exactly the same? I can only assume the person saying that has never actually PLAYED more than one Naruto game. There are four different Naruto game series, and they play VERY differently. Uzumaki Chronicles is more like Powerstone with QTE while the Nintendo GCN/Wii series is a straight-forward 3D brawler (and the DS and PSP games are more like platformer/adventures). The 360 game is a sandbox GTA-like game that happens to add in a fighting game as a bonus.

WizarDru

Pombar

CaptLtrl

LeBaron

Props on the reference to one of the best anime's out there (at least in my opinion).

code.monkey

Cueil

Cueil

Cueil

Transformers.

Kenofthedead

Irenicus-the one and only

CaptLtrl

JE20

Naruto = new DBZ! but it's actually better.

MonkeyBiz

Well I've only seen that far because I do watch the English dubbed version on Cartoon Network. While I do prefer fansubs for the most part I dont get hung up on little things like that. Besides, neither side really gets it right. Take Full Metal Alchemist for example. In Japan Edward Elric is too high pitched and in the US he's too mature. There's a lot of things you have to take with a grain of salt.

But I do applaud you for sticking to your guns and having your own moral agenda.

Sparx

t0yrobo

@underscore: Shaman King is EXCELLENT. While the US translation is good, the US voice work is EFFING TERRIBLE!

KaneTaker

sadkermit - soon to be banned for standing up to the ummm nazi.

underscore

thejakeman has died of dysentry

The game looks awfully bland and like Virtua Fighter dressed as "ninjas" that can do gravity defying techniques... like trapeze artist.

Gas Powered Goose

Oh, and Sega...what a perfect time to port Virtua Fighter 1, 2, Fighting Vipers, or Fighters Megamix to the DS.

Battle Arena Toshinden would be nice as well...part 2 ideally. Or Rival Schools...

Fuck! Come to think of it the DS is getting the royal screw job when it comes to 32-bit era 3D fighters. Christ, it doesn't even have a Smash Bros. title.

Shenanigans I say!

Nightshift_Nurse

Thanatos

Saint Anima

glitched

But instead you put all the characters devoid of personalities and like a virtua fighter with customized a textures and 3d models.. tsk.

Wyld

Cueil

It was a good fight, but I think the battle where Rock Lee goes all drunken master during the Sasuke rescue mission is even better, and funny to boot!

Sparx

ComradeStalin

wow...

KingDavid73

Thanatos

I wonder the same thing about Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh

KingDavid73

KaneTaker

Kyle81

Exactly

KingDavid73

Yeah, stick with the sweeping epics... way better storylines anyways. I'm not knocking japanese kid's cartoons, but their plots seem to revolve around trite life lessons like loyalty, friendship, honesty, and persistence.... at times they can feel condescending and preechy

Xamot

Well I may be a Sony guy when it comes to consoles, but when it comes to handhelds I go Nintendo. But with the PSP picking up steam I may switch sides next generation. Dissidia is really making me think hard about it now.

Sparx

lol, when you put it that way it makes sense, but at least most of Naruto's battles can be over with in one episode. Plus the more key battles can end about a good 3-4 episodes quicker and they actually fight while doing flashbacks opposed to the DBZ style of throw a punch, talk for 2 episodes, throw another punch, talk some more, etc...

Sparx

Kyle81

Thanks. That might be a little more helpful if I'd ever seen Dragon Ball, but I get the gist of it. I'm not a big anime fan. I like some of the movies that everyone agrees are classics, but I'm not a big fan of anime shows. I like Howl's Moving Castle.

KingDavid73

brello

Sparx

Naruto basically has the same blue balls buildup structure as Dragon Ball..

"I am not strong enough, i must train and reach the next level even though there will be a mysterious boss guy that will be stronger than me and appear out of no where by the time i hit that level. And then i'll train some more."

addittionally, they totally water down the meaning of the word NINJA by applying it to any moron with a head band who can throw a punch.

Xamot

Medicine Seller [ZTF]

Rabidsquirrel

KingDavid73

ElErico

HawaiianActor

multimoog

how existential

Xamot

Bernard McGraw

Saint Anima

Rehabilitator

KingDavid73

Kado