The Gist:

In his quest for answers about his past, a young and aspiring ninja discovers that he is the container vessel for the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and there is more to his future than he previously thought.

The History:

Based upon the manga by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto was inspired by a short story that appeared in Akamuru Jump in 1997 and was first published by Shueisha in Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1999.

Studio Pierrot and Aniplex adapted the manga into an anime series and it premiered in Japan on October 4, 2002, and ran for 220 episodes, ending on February 8, 2007. Viz Media licensed the title for North America and the series premiered in the U.S. on September 10, 2005, on Cartoon Network's Toonami.

Manga vs. Anime:

The Naruto anime series sticks closely to the manga for the first 135 episodes. After that, the remaining episodes were considered to be filler content that had nothing to do with the manga and created quite a controversy among fans.

To appease its viewers, Studio Pierrot created Naruto: Shippuden, a 70-episode sequel adapted from the manga starting at volume 28 and makes a two and a half year jump in time.

How to Watch:

Twenty-seven volumes of Naruto have been released on DVD so far by Viz Video with volume 28 due out on September 30, 2008.

Genres:

Action, comedy, fantasy, drama

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Studios:

VIZ Media

Rating:

Teens

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The Review:

Naruto tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki and his many friends and enemies as they travel down a path of self-discovery.

Naruto himself is an aspiring ninja who was abandoned and shunned by the people in his village, Konohagakure. Unbeknown to Naruto, the Fourth Hokage (leader of the village) captured the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and imprisoned him in Naruto when he was only a baby. The process killed the Fourth Hokage and the rest of the village blamed Naruto for the loss.

After graduating from the Ninja Academy, Naruto learns the truth about his past and he sets out to complete his quest of self-discovery and hopefully become the next Hokage of Konohagakure himself.

The characters of Naruto are well-crafted with even the serious and plagued Naruto himself presenting a notable silly and playful side. Each character brings his own set of skills to the table along with personal demons, and each has the opportunity to learn and grow by facing new challenges and truths.

There's plenty of action mixed with some comic relief, all set in a plot of "personal journey." It's a fun, endearing anime that combines mischief and humor with action and a deeper, more serious storyline to entice its viewers and keep you hooked.