My Three Things About Naruto 614
1) This is a minor thing, so I wanted to say it first and get it out of the way.... but I thought it kind of funny that Madara says he was hoping to attack before they got done talking. In manga is feels like the heroes talk forever in the middle of battles. I'm glad a villian is noticing it. A rather funny bit of meta-humor.
2)Okay... I am STILL unclear, after reading bot this chapter and 613 over twice, what exactly happened to Shikaku and Inoichi (and Chouza?). Clearly, they died and sacrified themselves for the great good. But how and what effect it has seems unclear to me. Is that just me, or are we supposed to not know yet?
I'm sure these two (or three? Is Chouza dead too?) are characters nobody else cares too much about, but this breaks my heart. I loved both of those characters from writing my A Rose Bloomed series.
And Team Ten's reactions. So perfectly them, all three.
3).... Or at least, I thought I was heartbroken, until Neji's arc came into the story. THAT broke my heart. SO. MUCH. HYUUGA. FEELINGS.
I mean, seeing Neji, and Hinata and Hiashi all working together! Seeing Hiashi's thoughts on those two! And then- And then- Neji mentions his dad! ITS BEEN HOW MANY HUNDREDS AND HUNDRDS OF CHAPTERS and we finally get Neji's reaction to that (which fit in beautifully with Inoichi and Shikaku too).
AND THEN NEJI DIES. Whhaaaat?! So many reactions to this. On one level I'm so sad, because, well, obviously, Neji was one of my favorite characters and part of one of my favorite ships.
On the other hand, along with Jiyira's death, Neji has to be one of the most meaningful and well-done deaths. Actually, I think strictly in terms of writing, his beats out Jiyira's (and defnitely Kakashi's, though Kakashi's was/is likely felt more by fans) because the backstory/character arc for Jiriya (and Kakashi) happened in the past; we didn't expeirnce it with the character like we did Neji. Neji's story comes full circle here, both in terms of acceptance of his father's death and what it means to choose to sacrifice yourself for loved ones, and in terms of his fights with both Naruto and Hinata. Here he saves Hinata as well as Naruto, showing how he's grown since trying to kill her. And in doing so, he is released from the seal (true, because he died, but on a symbolic level, it is very cool). He also finally gets to tell Naruto how much of a difference his words made.
This last bit is probably me with my shipper goggles on too tightly (You Have Been Warned), but... did anyone else find Neji's action and his last words as possible confirmation that he loved Hinata (either just platonically or as something more)? I did. I love that, once again after HUNDREDS OF CHAPTERS, Neji brings another seemingly dropped story arc-this time Hinata's confession/love story arc- up again to relevance by reminding Naruto that Hinata is willing to die for him. But I also found the other points interesting in that A) Neji says that (since Neji is dying for Naruto) Naruto's life is no longer his own, but also Neji's too....so Neji wants him to love Hinata (and/or else he is saying Naruto's life isn't his own because it is also partly Hinata's too now, but it comes to the same thing). and B) He doesn't really give Naruto a choice. He rather claims him for the Hyuuga Clan. Somehow this seems very Hyuuga of Neji (who after all, with the seal must regard people on some level as pawns to be used for the Greater Good), and rather, as if by demanding that, he is ensuring his cousin's happiness as well as change for the clan.
HEARTBREAK, OKAY?
3a) I'm so torn now as to what I want to happen. On the one hand, I think a grand total of 4 people who have ever died in the series have actually stayed dead, with no coming back in any form (The first nine-tail host, Jiriya, Nawako, and the Third.- Oh! And most of the Uchihas have neve come back so that makes....what 24 or 34 people, I guess....). So chances of Neji coming back are actually pretty good. I want him back. I don't want all my Hyuuga stories jossed; I want a happy ending for Hinata and Neji. (or at least an ambigiously ending one, so I can imagie them getting together on my own). Then again, I felt like this, though painful, was a very well-done story arc. Would it ruin things to bing him back?
Probably.
Would I care?
Not so sure....
2)Okay... I am STILL unclear, after reading bot this chapter and 613 over twice, what exactly happened to Shikaku and Inoichi (and Chouza?). Clearly, they died and sacrified themselves for the great good. But how and what effect it has seems unclear to me. Is that just me, or are we supposed to not know yet?
I'm sure these two (or three? Is Chouza dead too?) are characters nobody else cares too much about, but this breaks my heart. I loved both of those characters from writing my A Rose Bloomed series.
And Team Ten's reactions. So perfectly them, all three.
3).... Or at least, I thought I was heartbroken, until Neji's arc came into the story. THAT broke my heart. SO. MUCH. HYUUGA. FEELINGS.
I mean, seeing Neji, and Hinata and Hiashi all working together! Seeing Hiashi's thoughts on those two! And then- And then- Neji mentions his dad! ITS BEEN HOW MANY HUNDREDS AND HUNDRDS OF CHAPTERS and we finally get Neji's reaction to that (which fit in beautifully with Inoichi and Shikaku too).
AND THEN NEJI DIES. Whhaaaat?! So many reactions to this. On one level I'm so sad, because, well, obviously, Neji was one of my favorite characters and part of one of my favorite ships.
On the other hand, along with Jiyira's death, Neji has to be one of the most meaningful and well-done deaths. Actually, I think strictly in terms of writing, his beats out Jiyira's (and defnitely Kakashi's, though Kakashi's was/is likely felt more by fans) because the backstory/character arc for Jiriya (and Kakashi) happened in the past; we didn't expeirnce it with the character like we did Neji. Neji's story comes full circle here, both in terms of acceptance of his father's death and what it means to choose to sacrifice yourself for loved ones, and in terms of his fights with both Naruto and Hinata. Here he saves Hinata as well as Naruto, showing how he's grown since trying to kill her. And in doing so, he is released from the seal (true, because he died, but on a symbolic level, it is very cool). He also finally gets to tell Naruto how much of a difference his words made.
This last bit is probably me with my shipper goggles on too tightly (You Have Been Warned), but... did anyone else find Neji's action and his last words as possible confirmation that he loved Hinata (either just platonically or as something more)? I did. I love that, once again after HUNDREDS OF CHAPTERS, Neji brings another seemingly dropped story arc-this time Hinata's confession/love story arc- up again to relevance by reminding Naruto that Hinata is willing to die for him. But I also found the other points interesting in that A) Neji says that (since Neji is dying for Naruto) Naruto's life is no longer his own, but also Neji's too....so Neji wants him to love Hinata (and/or else he is saying Naruto's life isn't his own because it is also partly Hinata's too now, but it comes to the same thing). and B) He doesn't really give Naruto a choice. He rather claims him for the Hyuuga Clan. Somehow this seems very Hyuuga of Neji (who after all, with the seal must regard people on some level as pawns to be used for the Greater Good), and rather, as if by demanding that, he is ensuring his cousin's happiness as well as change for the clan.
HEARTBREAK, OKAY?
3a) I'm so torn now as to what I want to happen. On the one hand, I think a grand total of 4 people who have ever died in the series have actually stayed dead, with no coming back in any form (The first nine-tail host, Jiriya, Nawako, and the Third.- Oh! And most of the Uchihas have neve come back so that makes....what 24 or 34 people, I guess....). So chances of Neji coming back are actually pretty good. I want him back. I don't want all my Hyuuga stories jossed; I want a happy ending for Hinata and Neji. (or at least an ambigiously ending one, so I can imagie them getting together on my own). Then again, I felt like this, though painful, was a very well-done story arc. Would it ruin things to bing him back?
Probably.
Would I care?
Not so sure....