Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-4271790-20141106113847/@comment-25641694-20141108053640

Animogx63 wrote: Alright, earlier I tried posting something but forgot to sign in so it didn't stick so I'm going to skip the long rant I had in place and get to my main points.

1. The pairings for the fans were rushed, and some at best are shaky. 2. The story should have ended with either no pairings or be left up in the air so that all fanbases could at least retain some form of hope. Doesn't matter if it would have caused some anger or arguements, it'd be a lot less then what's popped up. 3. Don't act smug or snarky because others are displeased with the pairings.

There is more I could say but won't because either it will take to long and I'll ramble, or I can't think of them off the top of my head. However no matter how the ending happened fans are allowed to reject it, I myself embrace some of it and reject the rest. What this all should boil down to is that no matter the ships we root for, who we think is the best, we are all fans of this series. Let's forget ships and focus on the biggest thing: Naruto is finally done. This is the end of an era people, and having fans warring about the pairings just spoils it, takes away the magic. Let's appreciate the journey that we all took by reading and staying with this epic saga be it from the very start anywhere in the middle or even near the end to this final chapter. Its been a heck of a ride and I loved it dearly, just as I think you all loved it to. For those who are still not okay with the pairings then keep with your ships, write fanfiction, draw fanart, and let yourselves be heard, let it be known what you support but always remember that the other people here are just like you, they are the fans who grew with this story. Plus you never know, maybe certain fan theories maybe right, maybe he'll pull a JK Rowling, who knows. Just love the journey, even if the destination isn't what you wanted, and never give up, believe it.

Most of the pairings were rushed, as in sudden, however, anyone who has any semblance of objectivity and analytical capacity when it comes to literature knows that NH and SS were not rushed and were rather obvious regardless of how they were written. The only people who believe otherwise are those who don't realize that writers don't generally act like they're suddenly schizophrenic. Meaning; given that Naruto initiated what is commonly held to be a romantic gesture in both the U.S and Japan, to Hinata, and he has shown no hint of still crushing on Sakura; any experienced writer would realize what the mindset and the intentions of the Author were especially since there was literally no love triangle whatsoever in the story. The relationships for the main characters were the only ones given focus and particularly during the war arc, it became REALLY obvious how it was going to end. Had it been a romance manga, or one where romance was more central, then things would have ended differently, on some level. But seriously; Hinata's very existence, especially Kishi's consistency with her feelings pretty much dictated, especially on a literary level, that she was going to end up with Naruto. Same with Sakura to Sasuke. The only way Sakura wouldn't have ended up with Sasuke is if he died. NS had no clear romantic development whatsoever in the Manga. Anime? Yes; especially filler.

All of this isn't really about shipping either. This is simply about literary criticism and analysis.

If Character's focus is consistent, and if nothing directly contradicts or impedes it, then the Author's intentions with that character become pretty clear. There are certain variables of course, one of which is the importance of the character to the story, and the importance of the focus. In this particular case, romance was not a central theme of the story, and given that Naruto had absolutely nothing stopping him from shifting his feelings, and given how Kishi kept Hinata's feelings consistent for 15 years, it is therefore obvious. The other pairings were sudden, especially given again, the fact that romance was not particularly important to the story to the point where aside from major female characters; most character's feelings are typically avoided.

Then there's cultural themes. Usually the pairing involving the main character that is more positive toward's the main character's identity is more likely to be focused on, instead of the one that is based on shallow feelings, and this is primarily because in the U.S and Japan relationships in fiction are usually romanticized; and a crush on physical beauty that is never really even emphasized, or a motive that is later effectively sabotaged through goal achievement don't usually make for a good pairing versus the alternative of being based on an important attribute of one of the major characters (Naruto's main reason for his crush on Sakura was her looks, and wanting to be acknowledged by her, given his lack of popularity, which was resolved when he defeated Pain, while Naruto and Hinata had it based on his nindo, and his never giving up attitude, which is one of Naruto's most important, if not his most important trait).

So there's my criticism towards you and others here on the lack of literary analysis that went into this. I can't really comment on the other pairings because they pretty much were there for the happy ending. Also, generally writers don't write their story to satisfy the whims of the fanbase; especially since, if they did that intentionally it would do more harm than good. The best thing to do as a writer is to write what you were always going to write, and of course listen to the criticism and advise of your advisors; not the desires of your audience. The audience aren't storywriters for the most part.