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Ok I honestly have to ask this question about this show which might have been asked before. Everytime I hear about Naruto I always hear bad comments that follows. "The show sucks", "I hate his believe it catch phrase", "Its like dragon ball z except with ninjas". Now while all of those are true depending on who you ask, but did we always use to think negatively about the show. I mean I was in 9th grade when I first heard about it cause I had some friends who were one or two grades above me always talking about it or playing the game in the back of the library. Of course this was before it came to America and just about anyone else who I knew that knew or knew someone else that knew about the show thought the show was cool.

So to put it simple when did we start disliking this show? Did we always dislike or did when start disliking it when it came to the states? and Are there some out there who still like the show but refuse to watch the American version of it?

I just have to know!

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Personally, I still like Dragon Ball Z and Naruto. Sure, battles can last a bazillion episodes but it comes down to what you can be entertained by. They're easy to watch and you don't have to put a lot of your brain into understanding what's going on. Sometimes that's what I'm looking for in entertainment. I don't always need a heart warming complicated story to keep my interest. At 34 years old, I have quite a variety of interests in the shows I watch and the music I listen to. I try to give everything a chance which includes watching american dubs which have gotten quite a bit better over the past several years. We've come a long way from the voice acting styles of Speed Racer.

Sometimes I wonder if people put start putting down a show because it starts becoming popular by the masses. I often get the feeling that some fans feel like their fandom has been contaminated when something becomes main stream. When Naruto was first released, I remember quite a number of people gushing over it. Now some of those same people have switched sides and make some sort of excuse of why they liked it in the first place.

On the other hand, some shows just warm out their welcome by going on for too long. There are many people that get bored with a premise after a few seasons. Then their are some shows like Pokemon that eventually became nothing but a vehicle to push merchandise (the first season or two was actually decent). The same can be said for Digimon. Many business models believe in sucking every last dollar or yen out of a product until people just can't stand the sight of it anymore.

When all is said and done, though, you might as well just enjoy the things that you like. I may be well into my adult years but I refuse to give up something just because other people think it's childish or stupid. I enjoy anime and cartoons, going to Disney World and I own a number of video game systems. I also enjoy taking care of my house, writing music and cooking. What I do doesn't define who I am. I just do things that I love.

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I don't like Dragon Ball Z but I do like Naruto. I like Naruto for not only the story line (even though it can be super slow and drawn out) but the art and music as well. I didn't like Naruto at first when I saw it on TV but I decided what they heck and bought the first uncut boxed set and loved it. I also find the Naruto RPG game for the Xbox 360 to be a blast to play. I don't like or hater things dependent on their popularity among the masses, but I tend not to jump on the things that everyone is raving about until the last minute.

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I have a friend who will LOVE something, and then immediately start hating it when it becomes popular.

A lot of people I've known in geek circles, especially in school situations, define part of their identity as "the guy who likes obscure stuff". When something they like becomes popular, then it robs them of the thing that makes them different. "Naruto" was their special thing, their secret, and now it's out there for everyone. It robs them of their feelings of being among the elite.

This is a fairly common affliction among those who see themselves as setting trends; it is however seldom found among people who actually DO set trends.

And occasionally among political leaders who fear being called "waffler".

Here's the secret: You can change your opinion based on new evidence and facts, or simply because your tastes have changed since you declared your love for a show.

In the case of Naruto, or other long series, the initial charm (and in some cases, the quality) may wear off at various points -- obvious filler episodes or changes in storytelling pace may disillusion people who once loved it.

Case in point: When Star Trek: The Next Generation launched, it was mind-boggling. The first year was uneven as hell, but it was nirvana for trek fans, and it was able to garner a broader popular cachet than original Trek ever had. During that time I was a regular at trek conventions.

Within three years, strange things happened: the show found its own voice, and with the advent of cheaper VHS equipment and media, people were able to view those early episodes with a far more critical eye and some mental distance. The luster and shine wore off and perspective asserted itself: some of those episodes were, in fact, crap. Some were hidden gold.

Those who had built up an identity within fandom solidly on the Picard side of the Kirk/Picard debate began declaring that everythign was brilliant; those on the other side said "no, it's always sucked, here's proof". And while they fretted about challenges to their assumptions -- spectacular episodes with wonderful performances and writing versus silly hamhanded crap (see Wil Wheaton's blog for insight into which episodes are which) -- most of us carried on enjoying things we liked, decrying things we didn't like, and all in all being glad to have something to argue about.

Goodness knows I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who, and particularly delighted with most of the new series, but there are duds and stinkers and simple disappointments along the way. I am able to acknowledge those faults along with the successes, and still make the case to newbies that it's AWESOME stuff and they should give it a chance.

So continue to like what you like, and love what you love; it doesn't matter whether your friends "get over it" faster than you. It's even okay if your tastes change. Unless your self image and sense of worth hinges on being unique in liking something, in which case you should get over it. B)

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Any anime series or TV series in General, has it's good episodes and bad episodes? I try to look at the whole of a series before saying I hate it. I am not a huge Naruto fan because it isn't my taste. I have seen about twenty episodes and it doesn't entertain me. Shonen Jump isn't my taste in anime. I lean towards series like Black Lagoon and Devil lady (more mature anime that isn't for kids), due to being an older anime fan. I don't fall into Naruto/Sasuke debates or those sort of things.

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I suppose that unlike many people that I know, I never become the stereo typical fan of anything. Sure, I'm a huge Rush fan and I own a number of their albums but I've only seen them once in concert. It's the same thing when I meet someone 'famous'. I can easily turn off that fan attitude and treat them like a normal person since that's what they are after all.

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I'll be honest: I only watched 4 episodes of Naruto (before it hit the states) and didn't like it at all...so when I say I dislike Naruto, it has nothing to do with it being "popular" at all, it's because I couldn't get into it and it wasn't a show I particularly cared for.

Though I think Kakashi is one cool looking character. ^^

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I honestly can't understand what makes it different from all the other Shonen Jump titles, or why its popularity has lasted so long. Death Note is also wildly popular, but it's a vastly different kind of anime from the majority of today's offerings, and I think part of its appeal lies in the fact that its premise is so strange compared to every other popular title.

I'm sure Naruto has its good points and its bad ones, but I've never cared enough for it to start following it.

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To me, the appealing thing about Naruto is that the main character is completely impervious to the odds; he simply never stops trying and never gives up, and as he chips away at all the barriers between him and his goals, stumbling frequently along the way, he inspires others.

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I know what you guys mean about the whole mainstream thing. I have a friend who calls himself an elitest and he actually got mad at me for watching Deathnote on Adult Swim. Sometimes he even tells me not to buy dvds from certain companies like ADV. He's still cool though since he showed me somethings about anime and video games that I didnt know about.

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To me, the appealing thing about Naruto is that the main character is completely impervious to the odds; he simply never stops trying and never gives up, and as he chips away at all the barriers between him and his goals, stumbling frequently along the way, he inspires others.
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I have a friend who will LOVE something, and then immediately start hating it when it becomes popular.

A lot of people I've known in geek circles, especially in school situations, define part of their identity as "the guy who likes obscure stuff". When something they like becomes popular, then it robs them of the thing that makes them different.

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so i kinda wish "purist geeks" would stop hating on the naruto and the bleach. appriciate the fact that it's shows like these that make anime obtainable in the States.

I'd argue that it's Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, and Pokemon that made anime "mainstream" and "obtainable," but that's neither here nor there (and I'll offer a nod to Ranma 1/2, Gundam Wing, and Tenchi Muyo! while I'm at it). I think what gives a lot of non-fans of Naruto, Bleach, Inuyasha, DBZ, etc such a problem is that the story never ends. Every other series has a concise, clear-cut story arc, with a defined beginning, middle, and end. These series, though, seem (to the casual onlooker, at least) to go on and on, with lots of filler and little content.

While this makes them fairly accessible to anyone who tries to pick one up, it also tends to turn a lot of the more die-hard fans off - again, because of that vague sense of elitism and fondness that most of us have for our favorite shows. If anyone can get into it at any time, without investing the love and time that we have into our hobby, then what's the point?

I have a tendency to be tl;dr. The short version is, I agree that Naruto and Bleach (etc) are fantastic at generating chatter and activity for the anime scene, but if it weren't for the blockbuster shows of the '90s, they would probably not ever have been a blip on the radar.

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Yet another valid point. I personally just wanted to get to the bottom of all the hate for Naruto, Bleach, and other shows like them. Even when it comes to cosplayers and how a lot of people complain about too many people cosplay as naruto characters, or KH2 characters, and stuff like that but hey your not the one cosplaying so let the people who are have there fun. Im sure if we all had the time and money to make a fancy Trinity Blood cosplay or something then we'd do it but lets face it its the mainstream ones that your gonna see the most. Plus they're the easiest to do and the most noticeable for those who want to show off to the unsuspecting people at the Harbor. Anyways if there is anyone for the elitist to be mad at its the man fayes that keep showing up a cons. Why ruin the image of such a beautiful character T_T.

But yeah back to the topic at hand mainstream anime, which reminds me I felt kinda bad when I was reading a Deathnote manga and a japanese girl that I knew said that she remembers it from two years ago. all I could say back was that we get stuff late here lol

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I think what gives a lot of non-fans of Naruto, Bleach, Inuyasha, DBZ, etc such a problem is that the story never ends. Every other series has a concise, clear-cut story arc, with a defined beginning, middle, and end. These series, though, seem (to the casual onlooker, at least) to go on and on, with lots of filler and little content.
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  • 2 months later...

Well the reason i stopped likeing naruto till shippuden was that i was bored of the same thing. (well im talking bout the fillers) you do a mission, comedy, stop for a chance to find saucekay, then finish the mission. It got boring quick.

2nd the fans. Im not saying they cant be fans of the show but its getting out of control. They think they are watching the super anime. Im not really dissing them or saying you cant cosplay or nothing but calm it down. Not everyone likes it and you dont have to force them into watching it but menching it every 5 words.

I do like shippuden. It has more fighting scenes,better dialoge, There still trying to find saucekay but theres more issues they have to deal with then just saucekay. Like the atkusuki.

I would love to cosplay every once in awhile but not try to get everyone to watch it.

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