Kishimoto Masashi - Naruto, vol. 21-27

[oyceter]

So I tried to take notes, but my computer crashed and erased them, so instead, you all get the normal, completely haphazard, ramblings.

Spoilers up till vol. 27/ch. 242!

Eeeeee! The ninja keep getting cooler and cooler! I was rather irked that Sakura ended up staying behind, waiting for Naruto to get Sasuke back, though. rachelmanija had a nifty idea in which Ino, Sakura and Hinata end up going instead of some of the guys, which would have been really nifty.

Oh well.

But! So much backstory! This makes me very happy indeed. I never quite got Chouji before, but he made me sniffle because he tries so hard. And I adore Shikamaru. Adore. I love that his ninja powers aren't necessarily the strongest or the best, like Sasuke, or Gaara, but he's smart, and he strategizes, and it shows. I also got sniffly when he had qualms about being a leader at the very end, because they didn't get Sasuke back and so many people got injured. I think Shikamaru will make a really good team leader.

And I even felt sorry for Neji! Just a little, because I continue to root for Hinata getting a larger role, but I actually felt sorry for him, which is really saying something.

Also: EEEEEEEEEE!!!! Rock Lee! He is back! He has recovered from surgery! He does Drunken Taijutsu! He stops a fight just to take medicine! I love my bushy-eyed, stick-lashed ninja so much!

Also also: Sand sibs! Temari and Shikamaru! Gaara and Rock Lee! I love the Temari-Shikamaru interaction, particularly after the fight, when she yells at him for being a wimp. And oh, I love that Gaara shows up to help out Lee. Kishimoto is very, very good at keeping storylines going.

And, of course, the totally emo-licious battle between Sasuke and Naruto. To be honest, I sort of flipped past the big explosions and battles, but I love the bits in between, in which Naruto remembers looking up to Sasuke and tells him that Iruka and Sakura and Sasuke are like his family.

I even felt sorry for wee!Sasuke, who is so cute and tries so hard and is not yet so emo. And Itachi, ouch! The forehead poking!

And, of course, the famous "I am more special than you!" scene, hee!

But I really wish Sakura had been there, because it felt a little one-sided. Team 7 is a family, and it shouldn't have cut her out from there and left her waiting at home.

Still, I love how she and Naruto reconcile when he comes back without Sasuke, despite giving her his thumbs-up-Guy-style promise. And Jiraiya! Training for three years!

And... Sakura becomes Tsunade's apprentice OMG SO COOL she will finally get something to do!!!!

I love Kakashi's pictures near his bed, of his old team right next to him and Team 7.

I'm just so impressed by how Kishimoto's been managing the gigantic cast and making me care about all of them, gradually. Shikamaru hadn't impressed me that much until his fight with Temari, then he seemed to fade out a bit. But now, he's back, and he's so smart. I love that there are different types of strength among the ninja -- there's the cool genjutsu/ninjutsu that Sasuke and Gaara and Neji have, then there's Lee's taijutsu, which are normal. But then, there are other things, like Chouji and Hinata's determination, or Tsunade's medicine, or Shikamaru's strategy. I really like that it isn't about who has the bestest ninjutsu or the biggest muscles.

I was also really surprised when they ended up coming back without Sasuke! I really like where Kishimoto is taking this, and how all his characters are really growing, not just Naruto. I suspect Sakura is going to regret sitting out, and oh, I hope she's on the next rescue mission with kickass medicine skills!

Again, somewhat annoyed that the female characters end up with the more traditionally nurturing roles, but I have faith that Tsunade will teach Sakura to kick ass as well. My disclaimer is that I don't want all the female characters to have to have traditionally male strength (the ganbaru, ninja-skills type strength of the manga), but I think there should be some sort of distribution across the female characters as well.

No comments on Kakashi Gaiden so far; I'm waiting till I finish.

I'm really looking forward to what happens when the three years comes up and they have to go after Sasuke again. Especially how Sasuke will have changed, being with Orochimaru all this time!

Comments

[evil-kat.livejournal.com]

Where do you get all the scanlations? I feel like I am so far behind in Naruto, it's almost not worth catching up, but it IS, GOSH.

[oyceter]

Um... from a website somewhere, except I don't remember the URL =(.