Reviews

Naruto, Vol. 1: Uzumaki Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto

lajoiearchives's review

5.0

I’m pretty far in the show right now but it was really nice recapping these scenes. I feel like the characters are a part of my family and this book just felt nostalgic. Good, easy read. Fun graphics.

caseyflemingo's review

3.0

Fun start but I know it can get so much better and more interesting.

semperlunaris's review

3.0

WARNING! Nostalgia goggles are on! Also this review is for the entire series including Shippuden!

I do have a fond love for this story, this world, and this cast of characters navigating the world of the ninja.

BUT

it's not without its flaws.

Spoiler

In the later parts, there's talk of the ninja system, politics, how the jinchuriki are basically ninja Trident; and Naruto swears he's going to fix it as Hokage with his Kazekage buddy Gaara and all the other Kage...never happens. The 4th Great Shinobi World War was such a long, drawn out nothingness with stakes that were never stakes; characters die then get resurrected (unless your Neji, he's the only one (?) I remember dying and staying dead out of the main cast?); characters that should die or be imprisoned for their crimes get a slap on the wrist; the final big bad just felt like a left turn into a cop out and jumping not one, but fifty sharks (made by Kisame)! The last chapter was just so disappointing and no I'm not talking about endgame ships that is a whole other discourse I am not getting into here.

Kishimoto just can't write women and yes I know this is Shonen blah blah but honestly that's not a good excuse; there was so much potential for

Spoiler

Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Temari, Kurenai, and TenTen especially, that we just didn't get and I felt they did all that ninja training and for what?! for them to retire and have the next generation of child soldiers or be completely forgotten about?!

This series was one of the big three and maybe it began to peter out towards the end as Kishimoto and his team got fed up of keeping going and just wanted it to all be over, and I get that, but I do think there could have been a better way to resolve the final climax.

Still worth reading!

elenab's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nerdygirlrenee's review against another edition

1.0

I tried to get into the anime, but never got interested and the only thing I liked about it were the opening theme songs.

I thought I would like the manga more, but eh. Naruto is loud and annoying. The only character I really cared about was Kakashi but even he felt like kind of an ass.

Overated. Won’t read anymore.

bardic_llama's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

geekwayne's review

4.0

'Naruto, Vol. 01: Uzumaki Naruto' by Masashi Kishimoto with translation by Katy Bridges is a collection of comics from the early days of the manga in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1999.

Naruto is a fox spirit forced to be a boy. He is mocked because he has no parents and he loves to play pranks. He wants to be a warrior and he loves ramen, especially if one of his teachers buys it. He is also failing his classes because he can't create a doppelganger. His solutions to problems are comical and unusual, and he can even surprise himself sometimes.

I have a small familiarity with this character, but I enjoyed this look at his origins. There are author notes throughout and the art does improve as the book goes along. It's a bit rough to start, but you can see the beginnings of a great story idea.

I received a review copy of this manga from VIZ Media and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

monarchbooks's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

toastea's review against another edition

4.0

I adore the anime and saw that my library had the manga available so I decided to give it a shot! It was a great read, the anime follows the book pretty closely at least in this volume so a lot of it felt very familiar. Enjoyed seeing Naruto's mischievous nature and Sasuke gives him a lot more respect in the manga than he ever seemed to in the anime, which is pretty interesting. There are several panels where he is quite impressed with Naruto's ingenuity. Will be slowly making my way through the rest! 

bswanson311's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0