The End of a Masterpiece

So after one-and-a-half months of imprisonment, stress, peer pressure and battles against time, my AS-level exams are finally over~~~!

And of course, this time has been well spent.

I still kept myself updated with weekly Fall 2014 anime episodes (without fail, if I may add). I read the last two chapters of Naruto the minute it was posted online, and also checked Saiyan Island for frequent post-Naruto updates.

But no, it seems like I didn’t have the time to blog. Haha.

Since I’m officially back in business now, I’ve decided to split my rants into a few parts, and today is all about Naruto 699 and 700.

(Warning: spoilers ahead)

So once it ended, most fans immediately thanked Kishimoto-sensei for his fifteen-year-long dedication and hard work to the worldwide sensation. Perhaps now he can finally step out of his office and realize just how much Naruto has affected the world and the manga industry.

To be honest, I liked the ending. It was on a positive note, it didn’t leave fans hanging (okay, maybe the pairings but we’ll talk about that later), everyone became the good guys in the end and the answer to the series-long question has finally been revealed.

Naruto is the 7th Hokage.

Lots of fans argued that the transition from 699 to 700 was really abrupt, but since we know that Naruto: The Last will be answering to all that, the mystery keeps anticipation and expectations high for the final movie.

On the other hand, I really thought someone was gonna die in the very end. I’m glad no one did, because I’m not a fan of major character deaths.

The way Naruto and Sasuke’s battle resolved was…satisfactory, I guess, and it was perhaps one of the only times when Kishimoto told the chapter from Sasuke’s point of view. Just partially, but still.

Even so, there was one thing I thought was unnecessary: Sasuke’s “realization” must have been in his mind for quite some time, so I don’t see why he still had to go all genjutsu on Sakura just moments before the Naruto vs Sasuke battle. And to suddenly have them end up together is a little anticlimactic.

I’m not unhappy about it though: I’m a SasuSaku shipper after all. But in all honesty, I didn’t expect my OTP to really be canon. I never expected it at all, not even after reading all those SasuSaku fanfictions that kept Sasuke in character.

I’m elated, and caught off guard in a good way 🙂

And this brings us to the major fan war topic: the pairings.

Kishimoto-sensei admitted that he was no romance writer, so to see almost 70% of Konoha 11 paired off with the “popular set of couples among fans” is certainly a surprise. (I felt sorry for Lee, Tenten and Shino who were not shown to be partnered up with anyone)

There was a serious war going on between shippers though. I’m quite sure that there will be people who are unhappy about the pairings, but no one ever forced you to stop shipping your ship. I’ve seen shippers who were seriously mean, insulting the opposite shippers and degrading their ships and all. Naruto has ended, and hopefully the antagonistic relationship between these fans will too.

Aww…Bolt is soooo cute!

Sigh…we will always feel the absence of Neji.

And here’s to my OTP! *squeals*

 

These three did not appear in the same panel together, but I would have really liked to see the family interaction.

 

Ino-Shika-Cho were cute as usual. No pictures because I couldn’t find one which could aptly show their cute interaction.

Konoha 11 with Sasuke and Sai minus Neji.

My excitement of reading the last chapter has sort of died down by now, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget all the emotional investments I’d put into this series, nor the feels it gave me, nor all my years of reading Sasusaku fanfiction wishing it was real, nor all the moments I spent wondering how such an amazing series would end.

Naruto has truly been the epitome of childhood for me, and is one of the “starter” series which led me into the anime/manga world.

Kishimoto-sensei, thank you for all your hard work. It was 15 years well spent on a journey transcending time and reality. 😀

 

 

P.S. Thank god One Piece still has about 10 years to go! 😛