kewlpinguino's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
By this point I can definitely say Naruto overcame what I saw as its initial shortcomings. The establishment of the characters is much more of a slow burn than in Dragon Ball, but as a result the development is much stronger. Things build up for the first few volumes, but here the sparks start to fly, and Kishimoto crafts emotional scenes with ease—in contrast to Toriyama, who's a master of tensions but tends to fall short in dramatizing character development (not to say it doesn't occur, but it tends to be much more subtle and over longer periods of time). I still can't say Naruto matches Dragon Ball for me on a personal level, because Toriyama's style and worldbuilding appeal to my tastes in a way few other mangaka do, but I definitely understand the hype now, and I'm on board for the ride. (We'll have to see if I make it through 72 volumes, though...)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Abandonment and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
More...