[Manga] Kishi's writing: Better or Worse Now?

[nitteo]

This is a spin-off on the discussion on Asuma's death (or not):

I agree that Kishi's writing is now "watered down." Naruto could've been the best manga if Kishi inserted SOME drama (death/dismemberment/dissapointments) once in awhile. Killing Haku/Zabuza was freaking great, sacrificing Sandaime was brilliant, but letting everyone else live or be saved has made this manga more like a kiddie show now. He is greatly influenced by how well the Anime is a powerhouse ratings magnet in Japan now. How sad.

To me Kishi's writing is on the decline, is it a matter of sooo many story lines that he has to mesh together? or a function of the Anime's succes in Japan? or just plain writers block?

The Haku Chapters were great. The Chunin Exams were great chapters. The Attack on Konoha were great Chapters. After that, its has been soo convuluted.

Whats your opinion on his writing or the direction Naruto is going?

[gibits]

I'd agree to that. Kishi is catering to his audience too much. Now he seems to be rushing the plot. Kishi should've given Naruto more time to show us what he learned, instead of showing us what everyone has learned. In order to let the readers see their favorite Sasuke, he made a whole arc that didn't devolp the plot at all, other than to invalidate Jiraiya's training.

But to give him some credit the themes are a bit different now and thus are handled differently. Naruto isn't the loner he used to be, and that was a huge part of Part 1.

[MobiuS]

Hand to Hand combat is nearly nonexistent. How sad.

[s-class uchiha]

Originally Posted by gibits

I'd agree to that. Kishi is catering to his audience too much. Now he seems to be rushing the plot. Kishi should've given Naruto more time to show us what he learned, instead of showing us what everyone has learned. In order to let the readers see their favorite Sasuke, he made a whole arc that didn't devolp the plot at all, other than to invalidate Jiraiya's training.

haha great quote I totally agree. The second part of the series (though good) doesn't compare to the first and it is just dragging on and on...

Seriously how many untold stories do you need? Did we need all that mystery around Asuma? I think that Kishi has perhaps overused that literary device of heightening a characters intrigue through mystery. I mean TIE SOME LOOSE KNOTS PLEASE

1. All the Itachi questions!
2. All the 4ths questions
3. Sannin background
4. Naruto's training
5. Sasuke's "
6. Akat Leader
7. Akatsuki in general
8. Oro in akatsuki
9. Kabuto's "boiling blood" and seal
10. Who the heck is Kurenai (plus a million other characters unexplained)
11. Konohamaru background

I mean I could go on and on and on ... should I even lists Kakashi's stuff ie rin, 3rd tomoe, his rise to fame, anbu...

Why put in more mystery w/ Asuma... who cares there's bigger fish to fry and plenty of them.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

I think it's the course of any great show. Eventually, they tend to fall flat. It's nearly inescapable.

[Ryuujin]

Originally Posted by gibits

Now he seems to be rushing the plot.

rushing the plot? I thought he was doing the exact opposite

[Medalist]

Asking people for their opinion hehe that leaves a never-ending loop of answers

[Rezard]

Maybe the manga was better at its beginning, but I still find part 2 fun. Sakura vs Sasori fight was pretty good.

Sure, in the beginning there was more drama, but let’s be fair to Kishimoto, it isn’t easy to create great dramatically scenes all the time. In the beginning it was easy, you only had to explore Naruto´s sadness due to being different and unrecognized to create some drama scenes, but now that Naruto is strong, there isn´t much material to do new drama.

Also, Kishimoto don´t have much other choice, Akatsuki is the main enemy in the Naruto World, ha made them an organization with 8 members, now he has to introduce us this members. It would be boring if Akatsuki was destroyed without at least telling something about their members.

If you don’t agree about how things are being done, how would you improve? Is it possible?

Maybe he could create drama scenes about romance, like Kiba dying to protect Hinata, and then tells her that he loves her, etc... I don’t know how to improve the history line, even if Asuma dies, it won’t be the as good as it was in the beginning.

[Gaara_]

Sasori fight was pretty cool, kind of ridiculous considering an old woman and a little girl defeat 100 puppets and a ninja who himself is a puppet...plus the kazekage puppet or whatever. These supposedly young ninja's are already more powerful than the most powerful ninja's in the Naruto Universe.

Then there was the fight against the Akatsuki member who uses clay or whatever...so lame and ridiculous. And kakashi shoots something out of his eye to blow the arm off, that was really obnoxious. Then with Gaara's whole death and some old woman character we just got introduced to brings him back to life...and no more Shukaku...also lame. Gaara needs to go get it back.

The writing has gone through all kinds of extremes, rushed, cheesy, excellent, sappy, powerful, heartfelt, all kinds of stuff. I'm hoping he'll bring some goodness back to us soon. Sure it was great to see Sasuke and the bunshin training is fairly interesting, the fact that Naruto's Chakra wasn't fire type or something cliche was a cool choice. It was all...wind, really? I wouldn't have guessed that...There's good and bad going on. These Akatsuki members are tough, tougher seeming than the previous fights, and I'm hoping they do some real damage. Also hoping to see some character development in oft neglected characters.

Plus that two tail jinchu was radical.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by s-class uchiha

haha great quote I totally agree. The second part of the series (though good) doesn't compare to the first and it is just dragging on and on...

Seriously how many untold stories do you need? Did we need all that mystery around Asuma? I think that Kishi has perhaps overused that literary device of heightening a characters intrigue through mystery. I mean TIE SOME LOOSE KNOTS PLEASE

1. All the Itachi questions!
2. All the 4ths questions
3. Sannin background
4. Naruto's training
5. Sasuke's "
6. Akat Leader
7. Akatsuki in general
8. Oro in akatsuki
9. Kabuto's "boiling blood" and seal
10. Who the heck is Kurenai (plus a million other characters unexplained)
11. Konohamaru background

I mean I could go on and on and on ... should I even lists Kakashi's stuff ie rin, 3rd tomoe, his rise to fame, anbu...

Why put in more mystery w/ Asuma... who cares there's bigger fish to fry and plenty of them.

lol..... how long do you expect Naruto Manga to go on for....? 10 more years...? o_____O that is alot of work right there .... makes me wonder if Kishi ever checks out Animesuki forums o______o

[gibits]

To S-Class:
I once thougtht all the subplots were a good thing, but I've really come to think that it just a side effect of bad story-telling now. He never accounted for alot things and now there is a big pile up of unexplained issues with that plot.

If the plot was well narrated then we wouldn't have those 11 items you mentioned.

[raikage]

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

I think it's the course of any great show. Eventually, they tend to fall flat. It's nearly inescapable.

That's why I tend to like series that have an ending, which from all indications Naruto will not have for at least another few years or so.

Personally, I don't think Akatsuki really does anything for the storyline.
They serve little more purpose than being Itachi's Amazing Friends™ for Team Naruto to battle over the next five to eleven volumes.

Or, putting it another way, if Akatsuki had not been introduced as a concept the storyline wouldn't really have missed out on anything.

[Mr. Johnny 5]

We cant talk about this....didnt Kishimoto already mentioned that he knew exactly how to make and end his story?

I dont think he is adjusting things...it's probably all part of his plan.

People have seen Itachi and Sasuke once and girls (i wont call names) start to faint.

Spoiler for Itachi's first appearances:

Itachi appeared...
Countered Kurenai's (gen) Jutsu with genjutsu (great)
She got out and blocked Itachi's kick (nice)
He appeared right behind her and caught her offguard (excellent scene)

And people immediatly come with...holy sh!t...Itachi's godlike, he's the best, Kurenai got owned!...but really he didnt. The only one who got owned during his first appearance was none other then: Hatake Kakashi.

The only one who got injured (except for Kurenai biting her own lip) was Kakashi.

Not only that Itachi ran away 2 times...

Probably while creating this Kishi thought...ok that was nice...let's move on.
And suddenly read on forums, paper...wow.. just one (VERY SHORT) scene and he's being worshipped.. that wasnt my intention...

I am doubtfull about the "so-called" deaths of Neji and Chouji they seemed ready to die...well atleast Chouji then..it was pretty sad..Chouji aint even "that fat" but ahwell..

Then there was Gaara...to me a person you cant kill...anyway didnt Kishi already showed us the important characters. At first it was all about Sasuke...then Orochimaru....and now its finally mostly about Naruto.

Sasuke & Orochimaru have been put into the shadows and the people who were waiting in the shadows (Akatsuki for example) have walked out of it.

Clearly guys like "Itachi, Kisame, The Sannin, Akatsuki's last pair(s) (Zetsu, ?, Leader) are saved for the last part. (Itachi & Kisame appearing in fake forms could've been an excuse to bring them back for a moment.)

Perhaps Kishimoto is adjusting very small things like (Itachi & Kisame 30% chakra) but overall (big things) probably remain still the same...that's what i think

[Sarugaki]

Imagine if Kishi had just stopped doing Naruto at the end of the Chuunin exam.. Naruto would still be the best manga/anime ever in my book and Kishi would be considered as a genius. How sad.

[Last_Hope]

I think Naruto has been good all the way, with one exception. The survival of Chouji. Chouji who took pills which they stated to us would kill him and he also got such a wonderful deathscene. Neji´s survival was a bit farfetched too but I like him a lot as a character so.

[MobiuS]

Honestly the plot is haywire now. Theres 1 million loose ends ... and he keeps introducing new characters every other chapter. And then he drops them like a hotpotato, while their subplot is still fresh in our minds.

Eg.

Haku shows up. Shows a next level handseal technique never been seen before. Shows us the first materialization of a bloodline (sharingan doesnt count, it doesnt create something physical). And then ... he dies.

One Hand Seals? Dead.

Fans: "Wait ... um ... Kish ... how was he able to create one hand seals? Arent there only 12 set hand seals?"

Kish: "Um ... HEY LOOK, ITS A NEW VILLIAN! KABUTO SHOW THEM WHAT YOU CAN DO!"

Fans: "..."

He essentially does this till where we are. I fear for the day we get to the section of the plot where it is a direct contradiction of a loose end he forgot about. : /

Scary ..

[cheese4u]

This is ridiculous. Both Naruto part 1 and 2 are great. It's great that everyone has an opinion, but come on your not even giving it a chance. Everytime I look up someone has something else to complain about. First you guys were complaining that Naruto was "touching too many peoples lives." Then you complained that Akatsuki is too strong. Now you're complaining that no one ever dies.

1. Naruto is the main character he is suppose to touch peoples lives. Naruto is a loser who became a winner and inspired everyone with his story. Isn't that what a main character is supposed to do? Wouldn't it be ridiculous if Naruto overcame all those obstacles and still didn't make any friends or inspire someone?

2. Akatsuki is supposed to be strong. When a show advances, and the character advances, then the villains must advance too. The obstacles that a main character has to overcome becomes larger as he/she grows as a character. He's already defeated ninja on Neji and Haku's level. So why go back when you can advance forward and fight stronger opponents? Akatsuki is not unstoppable, if they were then there would be no point in fighting them. Besides, if not Akatsuki, who would you have him fight, Konohomaru?

3. Of course no one hardly dies, where would the show be if you killed off all the characters? Just because you're in a fight with a strong opponent doesn't mean you have to die. And just because they didn't die right then doesn't mean they won't ever die. Most of you are under the impression that if someone comes close to dieing and doesn't, that makes the show less realistic. Last time I checked, near death experiences happens in real life as well. It's all part of being a ninja. How many times do you think Kikashi or the other ninjas came close to death but didn't?

Most importantly, Kishi is building up a story here. All of these so called questions, like the mystery of the uchiha clan for instance. Have not been answered, because its not yet time to answer them. Give the man a chance to work. You can't rush a good story. Most of you who are talking about the show like its the worst thing you've ever seen, are going to be looking pretty stupid when the story inevitably picks up again.

[MobiuS]

Originally Posted by cheese4u

This is ridiculous. Both Naruto part 1 and 2 are great. It's great that everyone has an opinion, but come on your not even giving it a chance. Everytime I look up someone has something else to complain about. First you guys were complaining that Naruto was "touching too many peoples lives." Then you complained that Akatsuki is too strong. Now you're complaining that no one ever dies.

Part 1 was undoubtably the best thing I had ever seen. Intricately woven story, impressive fights and damn near perfect story progression.

Part 2 is a flop SO FAR.
How many immortals were introduced? Side characters were created with special abilities to save main characters? Essentially a plothole designed to keep a couple of characters rolling. And now those characters are doing nothing more than kicking up dust in their respective villages. Characters are being introduced and killed off so fast, especially the villains. None of them leave a serious mark in the show, too. Considering that they are "teh uberl33t hax army 0f d00mz" i think they deserve more honorable deaths than Sakura. Deidara reclaiming his arm from a different dimension ... how is that possible? You know ... far too many loose ends for it to ever be tied up neatly without introducing MORE characters or MORE broken abilities. And Sasuke is still alive. Thats a definite fail on Kish's part. Were I the writer, there would be a freak accident where Sasuke is consumed by a snake and the snake is returned to its own dimension.

Seriously ... loose ends galore.
1 was tidy, neat and damn entertaining. Hand to hand combat is extinct in the manga. "omg i keel with shad0w. i keel with w!nd. i keel with eyez. i keel u when i leek blud."

MOST IMPORTANT LOOSE END: WHY DOESNT HIDAN ALREADY HAVE AIDS?

[AznSoulBoy]

I think both are goods. Part1 for the drama and all.
Part2 for the action and mysterious stuffs.
I dont see what are u guys complaining at all. Just because they are too powerful. I agreed with cheese4u

[Snubben_Pierre]

Cheese4u, amen to your post

mobius, did they ever say deidera got back his arm from the dimension kakashi sent it to?? because ive assumed that he got a arm transplant, and since they are the akatsuki they where able to give him back his clay holes in his palms.(or something similar)

I cant say that sasoris death was because of sakura, that not how i saw it out of my pov anyway.

they maybe have a cure for aids in narutoverse :P can't answer that for real...
for everyone who complains like a biatch about everything.
If you have so many complaint's why don't you become a mangaka and to it better or stop reading naruto?

I personally must say that the naruto story is very great for being a shounen, its much better then Hunter X hunter for example. Although H x H was better because it had better comedy. Nothing beats Hajime no ippo and One piece though