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Naruto is one of the three shonen titans. And one of the two that failed miserably. The story (if there is any at all) revolves around an annoying young pariah who dreams of being the most powerful (and most respected) man in the village: the Kage. Now, for reasons unknown to the readers, Naruto wants to become the leader of his village and its people even though they treated him as if he were less than a dog.

The art was fairly decent in the beginning, but as time passed by, it got progressively worse and more confusing. In addition, it seems that the mangaka is ... losing interest in this story, so the art has become less refined and more simple.

The characters and their development are terrible. S-rank ninjas (the strongest) seemingly lose to genins (bottom of the ladder ninjas). To top it all off, each character is stupidly annoying and has a repertoire of spells reaching approximately 3. Inconsistency seems to be the mangaka's favorite plot device as he literally destroys everyone and rebirths them into some new shape.

However, I do get some kicks from this story. I believe that the only reason I've been reading it for the past several months is to see how much !@#$ the mangaka can pull out of his arse.

I advise reading until the end of the Zab arc, or, if your interest has been piqued after reading said arc, until the end of the Sound5 arc.

A 10. One of the several few mangas that deserve two numbers. Berserk tells the tale of a swordsman haunted by woe and bad luck."Out of the frying pan into the fire" seems to be the only way to describe this manga, for the protagonist, Gutts, always seems to find himself in worse situations than those of his preceding situations.

The storyline line is superb - one of money, love, betrayal, and death. Each of these themes seem to be ubiquitous yet vacant throughout the story. Albeit a bit slow in the beginning, the plot rockets off, forming a most complex and elaborate tale that ... is sure to suck you in like a vacuum.

The art is amazing as well, though a tad bit confusing at times (as is the case for most action manga). The decapitation and maiming seem to look somewhat authentic relative to the weapon swings and cleaves - a huge plus in my book.

The characters are all fascinating in their own respect. Some big, some young, yet all adventurous and brave enough to fit in such an epic story. Each character is introduced and then reintroduced at a later time with even more background information on them.

Lastly, the mangaka seems to do things differently in this manga then in others. This thing seems to be the "pragmatist POV," the POV any sensible person would take. This made me elated. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read and find out.

Plot. Substance. Two words you can say that this manga, without a doubt, has none of. In fact, this manga has nothing to be proud of except for its babes. Character development has gone AWOL for this poor guy. RV revolves around an indecisive loser who seems to have accumulated a flock of bombshells, yet, being the loser he is, manages to score cero. And although it may seem like there is a plot and substance, they are mere mirages of suspense.

If you ever find yourself bored with only manga to accompany you, and you are male and interested in PWP without the first P, ... then this manga is perfect for you.

I read RV and began reading the second one: it took me one whole series to realize that nothing is going to happen, and nothing will ever happen. The same thing seems to happen ever chapter, which I found more that a little repetitive. "Know your place..."

Bleach. Use it only on your clothes, and not on your eyes or mind. Bleach WAS a good manga/anime until the end of the SS arc. After that, a plethora of sudden and raw characters are introduced - no exposition asked - and they bring with them their "interesting" plot devices. Except they aren't interesting: they're repetitive and confusing. To top it all off, the protagonist becomes emasculated after the end of said arc; all his training and exercise go to waste as these sudden entrants all seem to be Goliath to his David, except that this time, David has no more rocks. Almost ... in sync with the loss of Ichigo's masculinity is the disappearance of any visible plot and originality. Definitely a must read until the conclusion of the Soul Society Arc.