What was once an enjoyable and popular manga about a spunky little ninja who never gives up even against insurmountable odds has become yet another manga in a long line of crack mangas. What do I mean by crack mangas you may ask? These are the insidious charlatans that entice you with the notion of a good time then slowly drain your life away as you are unable to draw yourself away it like an addiction to crack.

I had began to have my suspicions when the anime took the horrific direction of filler seasons. I understand the need for the anime studio to keep putting out something new to keep people watching, but I believe they should have gotten the original creator to voice some opinions and basically make the filler stories. These were the episodes that put a dagger in my heart for my love of animes. I don't watch much anime anymore... I just read mangas.

The manga showed some promise after the two year jump. I was drawn in for a good long while. Like a sheep unwary that the sheep dog was just a mangy wolf, I kept reading, wondering where the new turn of events was going to take me in my adventures in ninja-land. I was hooked with the Sasori story line. It was different. I kept my attention. Gaara died. I actually said "Oh my god..." when I saw it.

I liked where Shippuden was going, at first.

And then Orochimaru is taken out like he was nothing. Was I the only person who thought this was a terrible conclusion to a great bad guy? I loved Orochimaru as an antagonist ever since his fight with the Third Hokage. I continued to enjoy his antics when he fought against both Jiraiya and Tsunade without the use of his arms. He spent his entire life perfecting his jutsus and stealing others. A kid whose just become a teenager kills him because he has sharingan? Wow!

That was the beginning the decline for me. It got so bad, that the one character I really liked, Hinata, finally professes her love for Naruto and I don't even give a crap. I probably would have squealed if it happened at the beginning of Shippuden.

I have a couple of questions. Why do we need yet another variation of the sharingan? I mean really, what is this one going to allow him to do that the other two couldn't? Can he now shoot pure chakra beams from his eyes that turn all he looks at into dust? Will it allow him to see the future like never before? Will it allow him to see through girls' clothing? Will it make him stop being a tool for every bad guy that shows up? Oh, oh! How about letting him absorb tailed monsters by looking at them?

Continuing the series of questions, why did they introduce this sack of shit? [link]
I know many people may like Pain/Nagato. I couldn't stand the bastard from the moment I saw him. Oh look! Another pointless ocular jutsu has entered the world. As if this manga couldn't have it's fill of whiny characters, they created the most emo of them all.

I think my favorite part is, Pain kills Jaraiya, Naruto talks to Pain, Pain renounces his ways because of Naruto's words, and RESURRECTS EVERYBODY HE KILLED (except Jiraiya, he stays a rotting corpse). It's bad enough that Pain's motivations were a load of clichéd garbage, but his ending was worse.

They could have made Konan a bit more interesting than papier-mâché girl. Here's a paper flower, sorry we destroyed your town.

I do believe I forgot to mention the incredibly lame way in which Naruto gains power fast. It seems like every time they need a new way for somebody to get powerful they give us a teacher with blackboard style instruction on how its done. I guess I don't mind the explanation as much as Naruto being able to split himself up and learn techniques 30 times faster than anybody else. It's like Goku in the hyperbolic time chamber all over again.

Who will Naruto be put up against next? Evil-Jesus? Ninja-Thor?

No... we all know who is next. Sasuke and his band of reprobates. What can we most likely expect? Probably a lot of stand offs of the two staring at each other. This will soon be followed up by an explosive battle where each contender will shout the other fighter's name as many times and as loudly as possible as if they were scored upon quantity and quality of name screaming to determine a winner (I ironically almost typed "determine a whiner". How appropriate). I expect we'll see what sort of ungodly power the sharingan how now, and here I foolishly thought they said the byakugan was supposed to be superior. I guess not since the Hyuga's are a sideshow now. Just a prediction, but, I somehow see Sakura developing feelings for Naruto and getting caught between the two (kind of a wild stretch). I can already see Danzo playing a role as well, and who actually believes those are bandages to hide some kind of injury? I think he's hiding something. But, he'll be killed or cast aside. Maybe, most likely not, but maybe, Naruto will be killed in the fight with Sasuke. This will probably make Sasuke regret all the stupid things he's done and either die as well, rejoin Konoha, or become the new Hokage after seeing his error.

I can't predict the future, and I'm fairly certain that since I pointed those things out, they will not come to fruition. We can only hope that the role of fate and luck play to the opposite of my observations.

Can Naruto be saved and become a truly great story upon which future stories will be measured and judged? Can the nose dive towards the ground be pulled out in time?

Yes. Yes it can.

Will I see it to that fruition?

No. I am done. I will not read another chapter of this nausea inducing filth rag of a manga. I would hope that others will join me in this quest to detoxify our bodies and minds of this poison that has crept into the mainstream.

I welcome all criticism, counter points, and support.

Please, share this journal with your friends. You never know who you might save