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There's tons of emotions and different characters with realistic personalities in there. That's what makes it all good to me. Of course, some sweet fights also helps keep the interest up at times, and I know many people who watch Naruto mostly for the fights even though I don't. It contains so much stuff that it's bound that many people will love it. Not that many people (afaik) like it as their best anime, including myself, but many put it in the top 5 or at least top 10, which averages it out as one of the best series ever since almost everyone likes it.
My first encounter with Naruto wasn't the prettiest one. I saw a screamy kid and some old geezer with robes on in front of a magical ball on someone else's screen. And it didn't really help that this person who wanted to show me how awesome this show was showed me the oiroke no jutsu. I was like "like, this is a comedy show that sometimes gives out partial nudity for no reason? since the main comedy also seems to be from a screamy kid *thinks Rizelmine* I think I'll pass". He bashed me to death but it's not like I listened, it didn't help that I saw Naruto stuff all over the net about it either, I've always had a hate for stuff that is mainstream for the sole reason it's mainstream, for some reason...
Then one day I was bored and the same person came up to me all "hey, you wanna check out a naruto episode?". Bored as I was I agreed to it, expecting not to see anything spectacular and be generally bored. He showed me episode 8, and man I loved it. I didn't understand everything that was going on, but he had given me a quick review. At first it didn't seem all that great, but I didn't die from it to say the least. Then after Zabuza had captured Kakashi and he pulled off a Mizu Bunshin and started a very disturbing situation for the team, I had my eyes glued. Naruto and Sakura were shaking like leaves, Sasuke pulled off a futile effort to save the team, the music started... yeah, quite a disturbing situation. Naruto realized he had a Jounin in front of him and that there was no way out of this situation but to hope his best by running, or he'd die for sure. Then he puts his hand down on the ground and it hurts. He stares at his wounded hand and has this beautiful flashback. I'm serious when I say I almost cried at this part, it was just 10 minutes into an episode of a show I had never seen before, but it just struck me so much... I decided that this series was one I'd want to see, but I would want to wait until it was licensed and all the dvds were out so I could watch it all in one go like I did with Kenshin.
Though... that plan didn't work, obviously. A year later I was home from school, sick. I started downloading a few episodes of Naruto just to have something to watch, and when I went to sleep that night I was already 40 episodes into the thing, and brought myself up to the current episode of 63 the next day. Weeks after that I decided to start a fansub group together with my friends and we'd show the world our love for Naruto, and this is where me and Shin-Otaku are today.
But heck, I'm getting sidetracked like nothing else. Like I said in the beginning of my post and also in the beginning of my rant, it has several realistic characters with unique goals and dreams. These people collide in different ways just like in real life and different situations appear from that. Sometimes disturbing, scary, romantic, morale boosting, filling with happiness, goosebump-rising... it contains everything real life has to offer, but in an exaggarated scale. And that just makes it all the better imho. Naruto is one of my top 5 animes and I'll be damned if the upcoming fillers ruin it like they did to Kenshin.
EDIT: Oh and I can't agree with krem who said you could just forget about Naruto when you've finished watching it. I've learned many things from it and seen things from angles I wouldn't have thought of them before. Kishimoto is a true genius, and I wish that some day I'll get to meet him so I can thank him for this great story. Heck, I'll challenge him to a shinobi fight and then we'll see who remembers the most jutsu's handseals ;P
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