Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-12509038-20141124214040/@comment-8284722-20141231081747

I haven't seen The Last, but from plot synopses I've read there are two words to describe it: "Wasted Potential". Think about it. They redesigned many beloved characters. They had Kishi at the helm writing a story on a new villain that looked promising. And they had so many other things. But the film was anything but a conclusion, and failed to deliver on any of the promises given to us. All the designs (except Naruto and Hinata) got less than a few minutes, if not seconds, of screentime each. Toneri was not an intriguing final villain, though he might've been had Kishi not ripped him off of Bowser. The animation was beautiful but completely unrecognizable. There was hardly any action or comedy. We got a new dojutsu, basically proving that SP had some say in it. The story had a bajillion things that Kishi did NOT cover in the manga that basically pushed all the plot points in this thing. And NH? The fact there was so much aforementioned added content, and the ways that each were implemented, made it even more clear how underdeveloped NH, despite being intended from the beginning, had been over the course of the series. That, and the way Naruto came to fall in love with Hinata IS THE MOST MESSED-UP METHOD OF FALLING IN LOVE I HAVE EVER HEARD OF IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! HE KNOWS IT, THEY KNOW IT, I KNOW IT, AND YOU KNOW IT!

If I were at the helm, I would've added Naruto going up to Hinata during Ch. 450, thanking her, and then having some NH resolution right there. But instead, the events of Ch. 437 weren't even acknowledged in the manga until The Last's bloody genjutsu, minus that one "reference" in Ch. 559. I can understand why it was pushed to the back of Naruto's mind though, considering the fact that he met Minato and found a single defining goal he needed to pursue at all costs under Jiraiya and Nagato's guidance. As for The Last being non-canon, I never said that. I call it filler material because it's not part of the actual manga and a separate work detailing a useless point in continuity. Like expanded universe material, basically.

For me on a moral standpoint, it was really hard to decide who to root for. For me it was just like any ordinary American comic: people on the same side of good and evil meet for the first (or fiftieth) time and can't think of anything better to do than fight each other. For stuff like character standpoints and all, that's obviously Sasuke. But Sasuke was going to go into Konoha and start pillaging civilians for certain. He's just as determined in his goals as Naruto is. He literally was going to pick off the Konoha elders and then level what's left of his village. And after he killed Danzo, he clearly was having fun ("I've never - been so happy - in my LIFE! It's as if my family is Singin' In the Rain of your BLOOD!" - and yes, I totally over-dramatized that moment in Ch. 485).

I also thought for a second the fight was over, and I just went "WHAAAA?!" Even worse: that was also the week that Naruto's ending was announced! My reason for the anime fights is that they drag on. And on. And on. And on. AND ON. AND ON. AND ON - you get the point. In short, I don't like action sequences to last for over two hours. I prefer them quick and fast, then move on to characterization. Too bad I gotta live with it when it comes to animation; that's why I prefer watching good ol' sci-fi action movies.

You don't understand, do you? The Uchiha Clan's blood isn't pure. Sasuke still has hatred in him (hell, everyone does). There's always a chance that Sarada or any of her descendants are going to turn up as a bunch of douches. And Indra and Asura are going to continue reincarnating, at which point that Indra could get jealous of Asura all over again, just like Sasuke became jealous of Naruto. As Minato once said: "There may never be true peace and order. As long as there is love in this world, there shall also be hate". Even worse; Sarada appears to have inherited her father's attitude to the world. As for dojutsu - yeah, they're all evil. And spreading ninshu? I don't see how that would work. Although... Sharingan: If you don't follow my religion, I'm going to burn you with my BLACK FLAMES OF HELL! (I bet ISIS will start craving the Sharingan after this). Byakugan: You have some doubts about the religion I'm trying to spread. I can see it in your mind. As well as your crush on Kate Upton despite being twenty years older and having a wife. Rinnegan: If your religions were true, I could easily have summoned Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, Krishna, and Buddha and then possess them and make them vessels of my power. But can I? Noooooo...

Yeah, Orochimaru probably won't be redeemed. So I figured he'd stay in Oto. But the final adversary was always going to be Sasuke. It was never Kaguya, it was never Toneri, and it was never Madara. It's all Sasuke. WHY CAN'T PEOPLE GET THAT IN THEIR HEAD??? Also, Orochimaru COULD be redeemed; he just hasn't - yet. After all, apparently Naruto sees the good in him as well.