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I've consumed too much surface-level anime that's nothing more than fan service and tropes. One of the big draws to this series for me is the subtext and the promise that "things get weird". A healthy amount of subtext can mean the difference between a generic anime and a timeless classic. After watching 26 episodes of NGE and "The End of Evangelion", I can say this series doesn't do it in a way that satisfies me.

In my opinion, the way to do this well is to have an easy to digest story with a dense amount of symbolism, foreshadowing, parallels, and themes for super fans ... to endlessly debate about. It rewards the attentive viewer while still being digestible for a general audience. NGE feels like it's almost entirely esoteric with pretty visuals to distract you from the lack of story. The later episodes will leave you with dozens of questions that the author has no interest in answering.

I believe authors have a certain level of responsibility when it comes to articulating their story. Making your audience watch 26 episodes, a movie, and then expecting them to do homework to figure out the plot is poor story telling - especially when there is no definitive answer to half of the questions.

"The End of Evangelion" was going in a much better direction than the original last two episodes and I was hyped. By the end of the movie I was overwhelmed and frustrated by the amount of questions the story bombarded me with. I guess it's on me to spend the next few hours researching these questions to figure out what the author was trying to convey.

Shinji piqued my interest. Typically this type of character will be insufferable to start, but will grow as a person and become a fan-favorite. By the end of NGE I wanted to strangle him. This kid might be the single most pathetic character in anime. He's basically the unreliable heel character, but he's also the protagonist that everyone relies on. Yes, the fate of humanity rests on the shoulders of a hormonal self-hating teenager who only grows more insufferable as the series develops. It's really a shame how the story gives this character so much screen time. He should honestly be a side character everyone hates and let Asuka be the main character. In TEoE, Shinji somehow manages to become an even bigger waste of space by rubbing one out to a comatose hospital patient. There was only one character who actually liked Shinji, and that was a red flag that he wasn't normal.

Asuka is someone I grew to immensely dislike. She has a massive superiority complex, and nobody calls her out for misbehaving. This is one of the many instances showcasing NGE isn't self-aware of it's own writing. She lashes out at everyone besides the class rep. Surprisingly, her backstory gradually softened my distaste of her, although her mental breakdown made me like her even less than Shinji for a while because, like Shinji, it didn't feel natural or deserved. Maybe it's the fact that Shinji is a piece of shit, or that Asuka is boring being a vegetable, but Asuka bouncing back in TEoE was very refreshing. Then she's killed, but then she's alive again? Then Shinji starts choking her out? Just add the questions to the pile.

Rei is fine to start off with, but towards the end of the series completely creeps me out. Every silently-uttered nihilisticly depressing retort makes my skin crawl. This girl is hell-bent on being as unsettling and enigmatic as possible. She has the personality of a board and is unfortunately extremely important to the story - ESPECIALLY in TEoE. Like most things in this story, I hope you're prepared to die with your questions.

Misato is a good character. I initially misjudged her as someone who is either entirely bubbly or entirely stoic. Thankfully, at least to me, she's more multifaceted and carries the torch for the audience to try to get some god damn answers in this story. At the start of the series she makes a.. weird joke about promising not to sleep with Shinji. I bring this up because in TEoE I was very "not okay" with her making out with Shinji before her demise. Ignoring that grossness she's probably my favorite character, although that's not saying much with her competition.

Suzuhara and Kensuke seemed like characters who might be somewhat important, but gradually get less and less screen time until they're silently written out of the story. When Suzuhara was picked to be 03's pilot, it seemed like these two characters may have some relevance, but that plot line is quickly snuffed out. This illicits so many questions, like what is the criteria for finding a pilot? Why is the fate of humanity put in the hands of hormonal 14 year olds? Why was Suzuhara chosen and not Kensuke who actually wanted to be a pilot? It's simple questions like this never being addressed that highlights that NGE is a sloppy story with hopes of grandeur. After more research I discovered Suzuhara dies in the manga. This explains why he disappears in the anime. This also explains his relevance in the story: to serve Shinji's "character". Like every other moment to serve Shinji's character it doesn't amount to anything.

The Human Instrumentality project feels like the most baffling and unnatural direction the story could’ve taken. Sure it’s a huge spectacle and cataclysmic event, but what problem is being solved here? Saying “humans need to evolve” is not a reason. You have SEELE who have lots of power and influence, and this is their plan? After defeating all of the angels everyone goes “We saved humanity, now time to destroy it!”. The rationale of this plan would only begin to make sense if we were shown, say, humanity completely uncooperative with one another and on the brink of tearing themselves apart. Instead we go from “half of humanity is dead, huge monsters are attacking” to “let’s fucking merge everyone into a single entity”.

In short, I didn't find this series very satisfying. It feels like the author attempted to make the story as abstract as possible to portray the illusion of a more complex, well-written story. The author excellently channels his depression into his characters but forgets to make it feel like natural character progression; instead we have characters just spontaneously lose the will to live. I'm glad I finally got this series off my to-watch list, but I don't see myself ever revisiting it.

tldr; story is about how crimes are actually hilarious, with some diving thrown in.

I tried to read as much as I could, I really did, but this manga is just too strange for me and I have to take a break after every joke. I'm in disbelief that this is a Seinen and not a Shonen.

I don't tolerate second hand embarrassment well and that's this story's bread and butter. We have characters repeatedly forcing/tricking other characters into intoxication, and it's played off as a joke and they're not villainized at all. The MC wants to get a girl drunk so she can't say no to ... his proposal, and it's played off as a joke and not incredibly sinister. We have characters naked half the time and it's played off as a joke. We have a character being portrayed as a creepy stalker, and you guessed it, it's just played off as a joke without kicking his ass to the curb.

This story doesn't want to be taken seriously, and in that way it's just too "anime" for me. I can't get past the cringe from the jokes nor get invested in this kind of story. I think it would've been a lot more bearable if the author eased me into their humor, instead of immediately hitting me with the naked men harem and forced intoxication - as if that was meant to be charming. Either the jokes land for you or you can't get past the fact that the jokes are just crimes, and I'm in the latter category.

This was once my favorite piece of media, full stop.
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Fumbling. Fumbling. It’s coming. Fumbling. Fumbling.
DESPAIR!
Bad ending for you!

All I ever wanted to do was get some head, I never knew I’d wind up dead.
I swear!

I never cared for freedom that’s a fact, my whole character is an act.
... I swear!

I’m crawling. I’m bawling.
Whining. Pining.

Don’t tell me I can win.
Mom-killing is my sin.
oooooooooooooooohh

If I drop the ball, slip and fall - couldn’t end any other way.
If I drop the ball, drop the ball, drop the ball.
If I drop the ball, plot-and-all, I'm gonna cry every day.
'Cause I don’t want Mikasa to beeeeee -
WITH JEAN!

Fumbling. Fumbling. It's coming!
--------------------------------------------THE PERFECT------------------------------------------------

"If no one here wants to pick up where they left off... all the people who laid down their lives so far did so in vain." - Eren Yeager, Episode 1

"The people capable of changing things are the ones who can throw away everything dear to them" - Armin Alert, Chapter 27

"Men all eventually die. Does that mean there is no meaning to life? That even being born at all is meaningless? And if so, is that the same for our fallen comrades? Were those soldiers' deaths also meaningless? No, absolutely not! It's up to us the living to give meaning to those soldiers' deaths" - Erwin Smith, Chapter 80

No matter how complex the story became, the main theme is to give meaning to the fallen by freeing humanity within the walls no matter the cost. This is the core value of the Survey Corps that each member has sworn their life on.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Attack on Titan is not a typical Shonen as it repeatedly destroys the audience’s expectations. While there are some lighthearted moments to get us to like the characters, the overall tone is bleak which makes each expedition suspenseful and each success feel earned. The plot is so insanely interconnected that I can't see another story ever coming close; it just makes me fall deeper in love with this story. There is no filler, wasted scenes, sexualizing the female characters, nor power-of-friendship moments that are commonplace in anime. There is a common trope in anime where authors feel compelled to include a large group of shallow characters to befriend the protagonist, but in AoT nearly every character is significant. Some characters may behave irrationally but given the context, I applaud the dedication to realism. If some characters are overpowered, aka Ackermans, there is an in-universe explanation for it. This is a meticulously crafted story that was clearly designed from start to finish to the most minute detail which is unheard of in popular anime.

One of the biggest hooks in Attack on Titan is the mystery. We want to know about the origin of Titans, why do Titans eat people, how Eren obtained his power, what’s the deal with the armored and colossal Titans, and why can’t anyone remember a time before 100 years ago? It feels like we get two new questions for every answer which leaves me craving for more. Isayama is also careful not to overwhelm his audience with too many questions. We learn about shifters, the colossal and armor shifters’ identities, the Ackerman clan, Eren’s dad, and the corrupt government within the walls. Finally after an amazing battle we reach the basement and it really does answer every question.

One might think the mystery element of the show is lost after the basement reveal, but that’s not the case. The mystery becomes “what happened during the time skip” and “what’s going on with Eren?” Isayama is careful to not show what Eren is thinking, so we have to be attentive and decipher his allegiances and goals from his actions and subtle facial expressions. The goal of the story has shifted from trying to get to the basement to finding a way for humanity within the walls to survive.

Titan powers will soon be made obsolete by technology, which means Paradis’ time to find a solution is running out. Only recently did Paradis discover how to work around the founder’s “vow to renounce war”, which means Paradis can now use the Rumbling as a deterrent for their survival. Eren has seen the future in which the Rumbling will happen, and he’s desperate to find a better solution. Isayama lays out several plans for Paradis, and thus the reader - and Eren is made aware of each one.

The first is the 50 year plan. In this plan the Azumabitos help Paradis catch up technologically in exchange for natural resources. This plan requires the threat of the Rumbling, as the world won’t wait for 50 years. Given the 13 year time limit on Titan powers, the founder would need to be passed down to several people, and Historia would become a broodmare to pump out royal blooded titans. Historia accepted this plan, but Eren immediately refused it.

The second plan is Zeke’s Euthanasia plan. This is very similar to the previous plan, but the key difference is that Paradis would have no future. Eren pretended to go along with this plan, only to betray Zeke later. This is in line with what Isayama has said in interviews as he portrays Eren and Zeke as opposites, so it makes sense that their plans are opposite.

The third pseudo-plan is the Survey Corps’ attempt of opening a dialogue with Marley. I think a lot of viewers missed this part as they criticize Eren for not trying to talk things out first. The Scouts sat in on a speech by an ambassador who is a pro-Eldian advocate. This is the Scout’s best chance of opening a dialogue. The ambassador, like everyone else, asserts the true enemies are those that live on Paradis. This is when Eren left the Survey Corps, as he has explored every possible alternative and realized that the Rumbling is the only way to guarantee their survival.

The final plan is the Rumbling which is supported Eren, the Yeagerists, and even the citizens of Paradis. Eren makes it clear multiple times that he won’t sit back and let the hateful world destroy his home. The entire story was planned around the Rumbling happening by writing Paradis into a situation where they'd have no other option for survival. Eren was conceived as a character who would commit such an atrocity.

Near the start of the Rumbling we’re finally shown Eren’s definitive perspective post-time skip. He’s not a heartless monster, but is devastated by the genocide he is going to commit. This character complexity makes him one of, if not the best character in Shonen. With how satisfying and amazing the story is at this point, I felt like I could accept any ending.

-------------------------------------------THE TERRIBLE------------------------------------------------

...Then the ending happened. If a story this air tight suddenly gets riddled with plot holes and contradictions, that's a red flag some meddling took place behind the scenes. After 10 years of build up, this has to be the biggest case of blue balls I've ever seen.

First, the final battle is completely devoid of tension. Throughout the story we’ve had hundreds of soldiers die at the hands of a couple of shifters. Now we have a handful of ODM users and they’re completely untouchable against hundreds of shifters. They never run out of gas, blades, nor thunder spears which have always been limiting factors in every battle. The only thing the alliance lost was a plane in the "battle of heaven and earth".

Ymir, the founder who started this entire story, is apparently not a victim at all. We thought she was waiting to be freed from her suffering by Eren, given how Eren freed her from her royal-blooded bond (to start the Rumbling) and even the damn chapter/episode titles are linked with the first episode/chapter. She was a poor girl who had her parents killed, was mutilated, enslaved, and raped. After being wounded she didn't have the will to live so she didn't regenerate and was sentenced to paths to be enslaved for eternity. But it turns out she's actually hopelessly in love with the monster who did that to her. All things considered, this disgusting reveal is just a footnote compared to the geyser of bullshit this septic tank of an ending has stored. Apparently this entire story she's been waiting for someone to teach her to "let go of love" and apparently this person is Mikasa. I say "apparently" because Isayama doesn't even attempt to explain it, probably because it wasn't set up at all. This weird 2nd to last chapter character moment for Mikasa is immediately undone in the last chapter.

Eren had a conversation with Armin at the START of the Rumbling, and it's implied he also spoke with the rest of the alliance. Eren wiped their memories which is something he's stated he wouldn't do, as he's compared ignorance to lacking freedom like cattle. Eren tells Armin that 80% of humanity will be wiped out by the Rumbling. Armin won't stand for this though and refuses to accept this outcome. Just kidding, despite being on his way to go kill Eren, Armin doesn't protest and immediately accepts this. While this is insanely out of character for Armin, it's in-line with how he's had no character agency since he became the colossal titan while simultaneously being credited for everything. To make this conversation even more bizarre, Armin's biggest emotional outburst isn't because of genocide, but because Armin is upset Eren hurt Mikasa's feelings. Armin then thanks Eren for committing mass genocide and gives him a big hug. The level of mental gymnastics you need to consider this good writing is beyond me.

Despite being an Ackerman, Mikasa can have her memories altered by the founder. This was a big plot point back in season 3 part 1 (it's the reason the Ackerman clan was massacred), only to be broken in the final act. It makes you wonder why Isayama went out of his way to explicitly state Ackermans can’t be affected by the founder and built the story around that fact.

Isayama tries to gaslight the audience with Survey Corps ghosts, as if to say “the Scouts approve of dying to ensure humanity within the walls would perish”. You can't rewatch the first 3 seasons and take any of the deaths seriously, as they all died for nothing. At this point it amounts to nothing more than torture porn.

Remember when Eren went out of his way to get the Warhammer Titan like it was something important? Yeah, neither does Isayama. Eren didn’t know of Marley’s counterattack from his visions, so he dragged the Survey Corps into a surprise attack to get the Warhammer Titan for… no reason? Even if you want to say he needed it for the final battle, which he decisively loses, he already has the founder which means he got Sasha killed for no reason. These are not the actions of a person who "only cares about his friends".

Near the end of the one-sided finale, familiar shifters inexplicably join the Alliance. Ignoring "how" they gained a will to switch sides, I can see Bertolt, Marcel and Porco wanting to stop Eren. However, it's nothing short of character assassination for freckles Ymir, Kruger and Grisha to stop Eren. Back in season 2, Freckles Ymir was ready to take Historia with her, as in her mind there was simply no future on Paradis. When she realized Eren's ability to control Titans, she knew Paradis did have a future, returned Historia, and went with the warriors alone. Ymir deciding to kill Eren to endanger Historia, the girl that she supposedly loves, is out of character. The Attack Titan split from OG Ymir's being as the part of her that desired to one day be free. It was passed down to countless generations of shifters with each being able to see the future. While none of those AT holders would achieve freedom themselves, they would inch Eldia towards that freedom. Kruger already spoke to Grisha about the Attack Titan's role to end this sad cycle of history to prevent it from repeating, so it's out of character for him to stop Eren. Even though Grisha has been a fickle AT holder, he knew of the Rumbling and chose to give Eren the AT anyway. It boils down to Grisha and Kruger entrusted their mission to Eren, and then killing him for carrying it out. Once again, please pretend the Attack Titan can't see into the future.

Time travel usually leads to plot holes, but somehow Isayama wrote it in an air-tight way. That is, until the last chapter where it’s revealed that Eren can control Titans - across. time. This opens a huge can of worms that makes Eren indirectly responsible for each Titan-related death as he could’ve stopped it but chose not to. He only uses this power a single time, and that’s to kill. his. own. mom. What the fuck. Remember when Eren guilt tripped Reiner with “Why did mother have to die, Reiner?”. Eren's most traumatic and motivational moment is self-inflicted. Rewatching episode 1, I can't feel any empathy towards Eren anymore.

Eren’s super secret actual true plan is to sacrifice his mom (the person he loves the most), dad, brother, himself, a bunch of his friends, Paradis’ future, and 80% of the world, so a couple of his friends and enemies who he's only known for a few years, can live long lives. If this sounds completely insane and non-sensical, that's because it is.

We’re also told he doesn't have a plan and doesn’t know why he did the Rumbling. We’re also told that Eren didn’t know he would be stopped. These explanations cannot coexist as they contradict each other. This is how Isayama answers every important question in the finale, hoping the viewer will just pick the explanation that they like the most. We’re meant to believe Eren was lying inside of his own mind, which is something you should fail your Writing 101 course for. Despite being able to see into the future and having god-like abilities, Eren keeps acting like he can’t and gives up after making everything worse.

Bizarrely, Eren’s biggest reaction isn’t because of the genocide he’s committing, but because he’s remorseful that he can’t be with his down-to-fuck step sister, which comes out of absolutely nowhere. This iconic scene will go down as one of the most hilarious out-of-character moments in anime, and the reason so many thought it was an April Fool's joke. Eren had every opportunity to be with Mikasa throughout the story, including in this scene, but simply chose not to in order to have some contrived, bargain-bin Romeo and Juliet story element. I don’t care who Eren shags (spoilers: no one), but this makes Eren refusing the 50 year plan completely nonsensical, as we’re meant to believe Eren’s friendship with Historia is more important to him than his love for Mikasa. Eren should’ve been delighted about the plan, instead he’s the main opponent of it for no coherent reason.

We just have to boil Eren’s complexity down to a lunatic with no agency doing things “just because”. In other words, a plot device. When I said "I can accept any outcome" I didn't think I'd need to state "have the characters act consistent". Eren’s character is thoroughly ruined. Even people who like this ending can’t agree on which parts of Eren are real and fake, despite him being consistent up to episode 1 of this season.

The reason Eren and co didn't flee Paradis was because fighting for humanity within the walls was undeniably their responsibility as scouts and the long term goal of the series. If Eren truly only cared about the survival of his friends and being with Mikasa, then that makes things so much easier as there are plenty of options. Eren and co could’ve just abandoned Paradis and lived in Marley permanently (or somewhere else), and we know they could do this because they already visited Marley undetected. Eren could’ve told Mikasa to go live with the Azumabitos and hitched a ride with her. Eren could’ve gone with the 50 year plan, giving Paradis a shot at survival, and he could’ve lived his remaining years with his friends and Mikasa; Historia is the only sacrifice and she was okay with it.

But no, Eren chose the worst plan where he doesn’t get to be with his friends nor Mikasa, Paradis gets destroyed, and billions die for no reason. I’m not upset that Eren wants to be with his friends and Mikasa, I’m upset because his actions don’t match his motives - motives so well hidden that Eren outright lies to the audience like he’s Deadpool.

The story suddenly stopped being about giving meaning to the fallen and saving humanity within the walls, but about keeping the fan favorite characters alive at any cost. Now the characters who swore to uphold the survey corps’ values are ecstatic that they get to live long lives at the expense of billions of lives and the future of their home. The alliance goes from wanting to kill Eren to outright worshiping him. Connie, Jean, Mikasa and Armin knew they’d reap the rewards of the Rumbling last season, but now they act like it’s new information. These imposters are the complete opposite of their self-sacrificing counterparts from season 1.

Isayama attempts a “both sides” narrative after Eren starts the Rumbling. This can be seen by how the Yeagerists are treating some of their Marley POW. Despite his efforts, this comparison completely fails. The world irrationally hates Eldains just for existing, and has been demonstrated multiple times in the story (just look at Faye). Marley was warned to not attack Paradis or they would trample the world, but Marley couldn’t resist the temptation of those juicy natural resources so they did it anyway. Even after Marley killed 1/3 of Paradis by episode 2 of season 1, Paradis STILL only wanted peace. Up until the moment of the Rumbling General Magath has spearheaded Marley’s operation to gain complete control of Eldians through the founder, genocide and enslave the population of Paradis to solidify their military might. As soon as he gets a huge spoonful of "find out", Magath wants to talk about peace and how genocide is actually a bad thing. It would be one thing if the story was self-aware about how much of a hypocrite Magath is, but it’s not and tries to give him an undeserving redemption. Paradise only used the Rumbling after the world forced their hand. In the end the irrationally hateful, racist world that has avoided all attempts at peace and has been trying to kill everyone on Paradis throughout the story, ends up succeeding. What an unapologetically bleak and unsatisfying conclusion.

Ignoring the shitstorm that is the last couple of episodes, the nuance of the story is lost on a lot of viewers. Some claim that Eren would do the Rumbling even if the world was peaceful because that’s “just how he is”. These people… are not correct. That’s like saying 8 year old Eren would’ve killed those 3 men even if they didn’t kidnap Mikasa because “that’s just how he is”. Why was Eren devastated and depressed after receiving visions of the Rumbling at the end of season 3 part 2? Why was Eren depressed during flashbacks of the time skip? Why was Eren spearheading the effort to find a better plan to save Paradis and avoid his vision from happening? Why was he disappointed when Hange said the Azumabitos won’t help Paradis by acting on Paradis’ behalf for peace?

After getting to the basement, Armin attempts to cheer Eren up by reminding him of the ocean which always gets him motivated. This briefly excites Eren, but then memories of his aunt’s mangled corpse flashes in his mind. He knows the truth that they still aren't free even if they can reach the ocean, as the entire world wants to kill them. It's just a bigger cage. Eren doesn’t want to do the Rumbling, but Isayama wrote Eren into a situation where he had to if he wanted his home to survive. Oh but silly me, it’s all an act. Eren has been acting since he murdered those men at 8 years old. Remember that convincing performance where he ordered his dad to murder children? Did he say he wanted to save Paradis inside his own mind? Believe it or not, still an act! Don’t mistake the writing for some complex moral dilemma, Eren is just evil or it’s fate or something. Just shut up and enjoy the naked giants and grappling hooks.

What happened to the airtight writing this series was known for? The conclusion feels like Isayama went down a list of every important theme and plot point to the story and went out of his way to ruin each and every one. It honestly feels intentionally poorly written. Almost every character has regressed into unlikable parodies of themselves, making you wonder why they stopped Eren in the first place. The remaining Scouts sacrificed the very thing they swore to protect. Everyone on Paradis dies, making the story completely meaningless. Titan powers disappear only to later come back. Quite literally nothing was achieved. It’s baffling how Isayama managed that as even stories with famously horrific endings like Game of Thrones achieve something. If the point of the story was to be nihilistic and unsatisfying, then Isayama gets full marks. However, you don’t need a story this long and complex when the end result is just a middle finger.

Do not watch this series as you will be punished for paying attention.

tldr; Story gets comically destroyed at the last possible second, making the entire story pointless. Veteran fans hate the ending, hype chasers like it. I regret following this story for a decade.

Shokugeki draws the audience in because of the shocking spectacle of people orgasming from eating food. Unfortunately, that's the main appeal of the story and it never evolves past that.

Without food orgasms, this story is boring. It's extremely predictable, especially since Souma never fucking loses. This dude is a Gary fucking Stu. This isn't how you write a good character, if you can even call him one.

Jouichirou seemed like he was going to be the final boss of the series but he lost off-screen for shock value to hype up a last second character. The ending is abrupt and underwhelming. You kind of have to ... read it to understand.

This is a cute and short story.

You'd think you understand where the story is headed given the premise, but I enjoyed how the author subverted my expectations. Well, I say I enjoyed it but it was more like shock and sadness. The conclusion raises some questions for me, but I don't think they're ever directly confirmed.

I did enjoy the contrast in personalities between the MC and FMC. Perhaps I'm dense, but I still don't understand why FMC puts so much effort into her relationship with the miserable bastard that is the MC. Still, I don't necessarily dislike miserable, self-loathing MC's. Logically it also doesn't track ... why FMC doesn't tell her friend about her condition, but I guess the allure of the story is that MC and her have a special relationship.

***Non-spoiler section***

The author commits the greatest sin by not bothering to justify the premise, which is very telling of the quality of writing. No reason is given as to why the Japanese government regularly kidnaps school children and forces them to fight to the death for the sadistic entertainment of their viewers.

For a story about killing most of the characters, the author is committed to playing it extremely safe. Everything you think will happen, happens. If you're looking for a generic story that isn't trying to surprise you at all, then this is for you. The art is good though.

***Spoiler Section***

This story is about a ... 45 year old chain smoker pretending to be a 9th grader adopting the MC and FMC and carrying them to victory at the expense of his own life. I did not enjoy reading the previous champion get reprimanded for his pragmatic decision making by MC & FMC as Terminator-Neo cleans house. Unfortunately, that’s the entire story in a nutshell.

Originally I enjoyed the main character but he quickly became insufferable. I was waiting for the moment when reality would hit the MC and he would prioritize his and FMC's survival at any cost, but I can't even get that much. It's infuriating to watch the MC act idealistic, get enlightened about their situation by the previous champion, seemingly understanding their situation, and then loop back around again. We keep getting intrusive flashbacks that engulf entire chapters to remind us of MC's resolve to protect FMC, but he does absolutely fuck-all. All he does is put himself in danger while pleading with others to put down their weapons. He does this FOUR TIMES. The first three times he gets saved and the fourth time the shooter had stormtrooper aim. How am I expected to feel any suspense when the MC has this much plot armor? MC has no regard for his own survival nor the survival of the girl he swore to protect multiple times, but the story hands him the W anyway. MC and FMC are little more than toddlers as they cry and have no means of surviving on their own.

The rest of the story doesn't particularly matter as its entire purpose is to try and toy with the audience’s feelings. I welcome stories that do this, but this story doesn’t do it well as it hasn’t once tried to subvert the audience’s expectations and build trust that anything could happen. Most of the story is exposition dumps and flashbacks to events that took place before the story began, and isn't merciful with the amount either. At a certain point you don’t even need to read the dialogue boxes as they stop mattering. The story desperately wants the audience to care about these characters and their relationships with one another before abruptly killing them. Most of the characters are killed within 1-3 chapters of their introduction. This is shock value at best and a poor way to get the audience to care about these characters.

Terminator-Neo is a plot device, not a character. He is simply perfect, can move faster than the eye can see, has unlimited ammo, and sometimes even omniscient. He serves the story well as it’s the author's way of expediting the plot as MC & co are busy waiting for the climax. We'll be introduced to a character, have an entire chapter of flashbacks to any% an emotional connection with the audience, and then Terminator-Neo will blow their brains out. Despite how absurdly overpowered TN is, he is powerless to MC's and FMC's plot armor. It takes both MC and FMC to shoot TN in the head for him to stay down, which is the only time MC and FMC actually do something.

***Non-Spoiler Section***
I've followed Naruto for over a decade and enjoyed the ride. I’m only now getting around to writing a review. It's a series that holds a special place in my heart. That being said, I still think you can enjoy something and criticize it.

There are three main problems with Naruto: Too many characters fighting for screen time, too many fake out deaths, and the abysmal pacing. The author emotionally manipulates the audience by pretending there are stakes and then undoes any of the consequences later - almost always without an explanation. This robs the story of any rewatch value as these moments boil down ... to the author lying to the audience.

It's these three reasons that I'm not sure I can really recommend this series. If you do read Naruto, I HIGHLY recommend you read the manga and avoid the anime, as the anime is 44% filler. Hell, maybe it will be a lot more enjoyable if you binge-read Naruto - that way you won’t have time to really think about the problems.

If I was reading Naruto for the first time as an adult, I don't think I would enjoy it. I would probably give it a 5, but nostalgia boosts the score.

***Spoiler Section***

While I love this series, too many people dismiss the dumb shit and chalk it up to needing a massive IQ to truly appreciate.

The author loves to depict every character as a victim. It worked very well in the Pain arc, but the author beat this dead horse into a bloody paste. Nobody is the bad guy. First Orochimaru is the bad guy, then it’s Itachi, but the REAL bad guy is Pain, but the real REAL bad guy is Obito. You absolute fool, the real bad guy was Madara. Are you an imbecile? It’s actually Black Zetsu, er actually this albino chick. Everything is her fault I guess.

The fake out deaths are absolutely absurd. We have characters get cut in half horizontally and crushed vertically, but both of those characters are just fine. The author really just can't help himself.

We have Choji tell us "If I use THAT technique.. I'll die!". He uses the technique, and then we have a proper send off. He'll reflect on his life and think of all the great people he's friends with. Then he'll clutch his chest and we'll see the image of a flower losing its last pedal. Shikamaru then "senses" his friend's demise. Skip a few chapters ahead and Choji is completely fine. Fuck me I guess.

To make the Pain arc seem more suspenseful, the author kills off a bunch of fan-favorite characters and then brings them back later. Apparently this universe has Dragon Balls.

The author introduces many new characters right before the war arc. I kind of expected a few named characters to die, but ironically more characters come back from the dead. Even when I was reading Naruto week by week, I never felt any suspense during the war arc, especially when Naruto and Sasuke were on the brink of death.

Most of the characters pre-time skip don't matter at all, which is an unfortunate side effect of the author writing the story by the seat of his pants. They might get their token sentence of dialogue per 50 chapters but they really don't matter anymore. We have one-off contrived moments like with the 10-tails splitting its body giving other characters a chance to get an attack in, or with the friendship Rasengan vs Obito. The side characters appear more in the opening and closing than they do in the show. The author took a fan favorite character, Rock Lee, and did fuck-all with him. There are so many characters being juggled around that the author completely forgets some plot threads towards the end of the story (Hashirama teaching Sasuke THAT technique, Guy and Lee w/ the sacred tools).

Obito. This is officially the point where the fake out deaths become too stupid to be forgiven. There are two main issues to be addressed to make Obito a feasible villain:
1. How he survived
2. His motivation
Obito was crushed vertically by a boulder so a bit of an explanation is needed. If he was shot in the head and his gray matter splattered all over the wall, he'd be far more likely to survive. Let me walk you through people's defense of this.
> Obito survived because of his Mangekyo ability
Obito didn't have his Mangekyo yet
> Obito is just special so he can still use the ability
Fine. Obito confirms he is being crushed by the boulder as he is being crushed by the boulder. Obito's right side is clearly crushed when Madara rehabilitates him.
> That’s because he was crushed.
How did his Sharigan survive if he was crushed? How did HE survive if he was crushed?
> Because he slipped through.
You can't have it both ways and flip flop at your convenience.

The author glosses over this crucial plot point with a vague "it's almost like you slipped through" and doesn’t want you to think about it further. The fact of the matter is the author wanted to have a big reveal but also didn't want it to be predictable so he sacrificed logic for shock value - which is unfortunately a problem throughout the story.

The author isn't even remotely close to being done bending over for Obito. Obito has the 10-tails ripped out of him which should've killed him, but no he's fine. Obito uses "THAT" technique to sacrifice himself to revive Madara, and he just fucking walks it off (Naruto casually mentions “reviving” him like it’s no biggy and no other explanation is given). Even when he finally dies he comes back 5 seconds later (it's only temporary but still). This insufferable character’s plot armor is unreal.

Before Obito dies for the first time, he’s depicted as a self-sacrificing individual. To go from that to world-domination warrants a bit of an explanation. The author assures us Obito’s motivation is not because of Rin. The author then shows us a flashback of Rin dying, which causes Obito to go full John Wick and he concludes “This world is HELL”. So basically, his motivation is 100% because of Rin. Obito had a crush on a 12 year old, in an occupation with a high mortality rate in which she dies, and then decided the next logical step is to murder everyone he cares about and brainwash the world to be with said 12 year old. Obito’s rationale would make a bit more sense if he and Rin were in a long-standing relationship where she was his rock in life, but that’s simply not the case at all.

But no worries! Madara explains away Obito’s character assassination by saying “those that stand tall must cast a longer shadow” - which is an elegant way of saying “don’t fucking worry about it bro”. If anyone thinks this is acceptable writing, they have no business complaining about Sasuke’s character arc.

Obito could’ve been an exceptional character, but the author loves to have his Sasuke-Naruto-Sakura dynamic on almost every team. As such, Obito is supposed to be Naruto and we’re meant to believe that the only difference between Obito and Naruto is “one bad day” (Naruto, want to know how I got these scars?). If Sakura was killed in front of Naruto, I don’t believe for a nanosecond that he’d be like “welp, better kill my friends, sensei, and the villagers”. In summary, Obito is a giga-simp with plot armor that rivals Naruto and Sasuke combined - but at least one of them is named after the show.

I also want to address how horribly written the female characters are in this show, to the point where I’m not certain the author has ever seen a woman. When we’re first introduced to the Leaf Village dozen almost every character has something to prove or has some compelling story. Of course, the only thing the female characters care about are boys. It’s nearly the first thing out of Sakura, Ino, and Hinata’s mouths. Hinata at least has a bit more to her character, but Sakura’s and Ino’s tragic backstory is that they like the same emo boy he hates everyone else.

Sakura suffers the brunt of the poor writing. Sakura simps for Sasuke because “he’s cool” - that’s it, don’t expect any other reason. Sasuke verbally and physically assaults Sakura, and attempts to kill her multiple times. Sakura never gives up or takes Sasuke’s multiple “noes” as an answer. Good thing the genders aren’t reversed otherwise the police might get involved. Sakura’s love for Sasuke is depicted as a tragic burden, but her love for Sasuke is near "Mikasa" level ridiculous.

Pre-time skip Sakura does very little. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I learned Sakura became a useful character post-time skip. Unfortunately her relevance is short lived, and the credit for Sakura’s improved abilities is given to Granny Chio, who fuckin’ dies a few chapters later. Sakura sits on the side lines but when the author wants to have his Legendary Trio Deadlock she’ll jump in and say “I’ve finally caught up to those two” for the 100th time, but these moments feel unearned. When the author wants to focus on the Naruto-Sasuke rivalry, Sakura will become an emotional mess (remember guys, she’s a woman!) and curse her helplessness. The author simply wants to have his cake and eat it too.

Sakura’s stupidity dials up to 11 post-Pain. Her 500 IQ ploy is to emotionally manipulate Naruto by pretending to like him back. Why is Sakura's character entirely defined by who she's attracted to? Sakura thinks Naruto is only trying to save Sasuke because of their promise, and is flabbergasted to learn that Naruto actually WANTS to save Sasuke. Sakura comes off like a condescending moron. Sakura’s stupidity dials up to 12 as her next 5000 IQ plan is to try the exact same thing on Sasuke, ya know, the person it’s never ever worked on. What makes this even worse is the author sabotages this perfect opportunity to make use of some under-utilized side characters. Why did she even bother to recruit back-up if she was just going to roofie them?

Sasuke is also somewhat inconsistent. He goes full Light Yagami after killing Danzo. He attempts to kill Karin, Sakura (x2), Kakashi, and vows to destroy the Leaf village. He meets up with Itachi, takes a chill pill, and everyone looks past his “turning point” like it never happened. I do like Sasuke’s conclusion to follow in his brother’s footsteps by becoming the “greater evil” for the sake of peace, as he’s seen it work by both Itachi and the 4th ninja war. Sasuke would’ve been a much better character to assist Madara than Obito. Honestly that would be amazing.

My last criticism is with Naruto. Naruto is meant to be the no-talent loser who is able to stand up to a genius like Sasuke with hard work. While this is an inspirational message, this couldn’t be more false. Naruto is the product of destiny and nepotism. Naruto is the son of the 4th Hokage, disciple of the 6th Hokage, personally trained by one of the Legendary Sanin, and the fucking reincarnation of one of the sons of the creator of all ninjutsu. To top it all off, Naruto has the 9-tails which serves as a crutch any time Naruto’s back is against the wall. Pre-time skip this happens a lot and the author depicts these moments as proof of “Naruto’s growth”. I saw the Neji vs Naruto fight when I was in middle school, and I still recognized it was disingenuous to attribute Naruto’s win as “hard work beats geniuses”. In short, the story treats Naruto like he’s Rock Lee. Also the whole “world peace” theme kinda got swapped over to Sasuke at the end.

To be somewhat constructive after ranting like a mad man, I’ll suggest some fixes. The first and second issue with this manga are each others’ solution. Choji should’ve died. Either erase Obito from the story, or depict him as a mentally fragile loner who was in a loving relationship with Rin. Explicitly state that having the 10-tails is unique and having it ripped out of you won’t kill you. Kill Obito when he revives Madara. All of the Kage, with the exception of Garra, should’ve died against Madara (most of them retire anyway and do nothing after they miraculously survive). Orochimaru stays dead. Tone down Sakura’s crying, give her techniques beyond punching and healing (do we even know her Chakra nature?), and have her actually do shit. Sakura doesn’t roofie her Sasuke hit squad. A couple of other named characters should’ve died in the war as well even if they’re not from the Leaf Village. Completely axe the reincarnation thing for Naruto and Sasuke.

Believe it or not, the only reason I put so much effort into this review is because I’m passionate about this story.

The story is pretty straight forward. The main draw is the antagonist and how untouchable he is. The art is acceptable but the paneling is atrocious.

For the most part I enjoyed Jin, Kyun, and especially Manny. Following Jin's story and having him be gaslit from start to finish makes this a pretty miserable read. Jin never got the upper hand on the antagonist and the only reason they were defeated is because of their own recklessness. I really enjoyed Manny's detective work and figuring things out on his own, and how that resolved made me upset. Kyun is nice but she's also a fucking moron ... because she, alone, in the middle of the night, visits a predator that she knows is targeting her.

I guess we're meant to believe the antagonist had the MC's best interest at heart because they didn't off Kyun, but it just didn't work for me. Trying to humanize a serial killer is just ridiculous. I did binge read it wanting to see how it would finish, so it certainly has some appeal to it.

There isn't much so say because there aren't that many chapters. The story doesn't feel that deep.

To me the entire story was built around the climax, but it still manages to come off as contrived. In my opinion, these types of finales only work over much MUCH longer stories. While the conclusion is a bit surprising, I don't think it's that effective.

The art is absolutely gorgeous, but I find the antagonists boring. Only two characters matter so they're the only ones who get development. Once again, the reason development is given is to service the climax. Due to the nature of the story there isn't ... much suspense.

Read it if you want, it's not that big of a time sink.

How have I never heard of this story until now?

The premise is simple, "what if some humans couldn't die?". I love how the story fleshes out all of the implications and gets super creative with this simple ability; it's very reminiscent of Death Note. Each chapter is filled to the brim with thrilling story which makes it hard to put down. We get to see how society would react to these humans and their treatment of them.

The characters feel unique and likable. It's refreshing to read a story where the characters don't feel like the carbon-copies seen in every other manga. We do have the ... typical "dumb loudmouth" character, but they're only a side character to act as a foil to the MC. Characters are generally fleshed out, and any significant shift in a character's motivations feels organic. I love the inner struggle many characters go through.

The villain(s) are VERY entertaining. I love how I can agree with their motivations even if I don't agree with their methods.

This story isn't perfect though. The ending felt.. underwhelming and messy, especially with how great the rest of the story is. It doesn't ruin the story or anything like that. Also some characters' deaths felt completely contrived and preventable.

If you can get past the first few disturbing chapters, it's a very solid read.