Naruto- Sasuke's character development

As a child Sasuke was kind and loving towards his family (especially Itachi) and respectful to his clan and teachers. He admired his older brother and wanted to be like him and he also desired his father’s approval and recognition.

He began to change when his entire family and clan were killed by Itachi, turning him into a cold and arrogant avenger. Though I believe he felt hurt and lonely inside, he rejected others in favor of solitude. His arrogance made him ignore those he considered inferior, thinking they would be a hindrance in achieving his goal.

When he became a member of team Kakashi, Sasuke grew attached to them and think of them as a family. He began losing some of his cold demeanor and he even put his life in danger a few times, for his team (especially for Naruto). As he later admitted to Sakura, he almost thought that he must forget about his revenge and instead focus on Team 7. This happened especially thanks to Naruto. When Sasuke’s family and friends were alive the two boys were rivals, because Sasuke’s skills were better and he was more popular with girls than Naruto.

After Sasuke lost his family and clan a bond was created between him and Naruto, because they shared the same pain of being lonely and viewed as outcasts by the other villagers. Even if Naruto had grown up alone and Sasuke had a family but than lost it, they both knew sorrow and suffering that made them stronger. A bond of friendly rivalry, because both of them were too proud to openly admit that they actually wanted to be friends. Naruto admits later that this bond was the first he made and that he sees Sasuke as a brother; that’s why he’s so determined to chase the Uchiha boy to the end of the world in order to bring him back to Konoha. This bond is precious to both of them, but especially to Naruto. That is why the moment when Sasuke finally acknowledges him is so touching and important to the blonde boy.

However, when Orochimaru branded Sasuke with the Cursed Seal he pushed the Uchiha boy back on the path of vengeance and power. Though Sasuke still struggles with choosing between revenge and those he loves, in the end he becomes more and more obsessed with power and gradually loses his humanity.

According to Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke has both a superiority and an inferiority complex, as he is unwilling to acknowledge when someone is stronger than him, but obsesses when he believes that they are. Sasuke was dismissive of his rivalry towards Naruto when he was sure he was the better, only to obsess over Naruto’s fast growth after the latter defeated Gaara. He’s so concerned with this that he doesn’t notice his own growth and is under the impression that he is weaker than Naruto. The Uzumaki boy, who still admires Sasuke a lot and is happy to finally be acknowledged by him, doesn’t understand the sudden change in Sasuke and is determined to get some answers and prevent Sasuke from walking the path of revenge, even against the Uchiha boy’s will.

At first Sasuke didn’t want to kill Naruto because he didn’t want to follow the path indicated by Itachi, but instead wanted to gain power in his own way. After training with Orochimaru and severing the ties he believed bound him, Sasuke was apparently willing to kill Naruto just to prove a point at how much he had changed. He became increasingly confident in his strength and retained the habit of underestimating his opponents, though he acknowledged his mistakes and was not above making bonds with those around him (like he did with the members of his own new team, Taka).

According to Obito Uchiha, Sasuke alone was shouldering the entire hatred of the Uchiha clan. After learning the truth about Itachi’s actions Sasuke vowed revenge against the entire Konoha village, even if that was against Itachi’s wishes and would bring disaster for the entire world.

In the end, Sasuke is just a confused “child” looking for recognition and power to fill the void left by the loneliness and hurt he felt inside. He was jealous of Naruto because he could turn loneliness into strength and created bonds with people, that made him stronger, while Sasuke rejected those bonds believing they are a weakness and choosing solitude instead. Sasuke himself realizes in the end that he always followed behind Naruto just as he did with his older brother Itachi.

Concerning Sakura, Sasuke does show genuine affection for her in the end, as well as remorse for what he did to her and to the entire shinobi world.

Death Note- a closer look at Light and L

“If we catch Kira, he is evil, if he wins and rules the world, then he is justice.”

-Light Yagami (“Justice”)

Yagami Light is a hardworking, talented, and a natural genius. His only faults are his deep sociopathic interior, his cynical outlook on life, his overconfidence in himself and his belief that he is never wrong. L describes both himself and Light as “childish and hating to lose”.

Ohba said that Light was “a young man who could understand the pain of others” when he first encountered the Death Note. Ohba said that if Ryuk never developed an interest in the human world,

Light would have become “one of the greatest police leaders in the world” who, with L, worked against criminals. Indeed, wouldn’t it have been great to see Light and L work together (like they did when Light lost his memories of the Death Note), instead of “hunting” each-other? Though the competition and mind games between them are very interesting and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ohba described Light’s life “ruined” once he obtained the Death Note, and that Light became a

victim of the Death Note “in many ways”.

The Death Note represents power and humans become easily corrupted by it. Especially a human

with a strong sense of justice and high morals, like Light. Though hesitant in the beginning, Light uses

the Death Note with more confidence every time and gradually loses his humanity becoming this cold,

ruthless, and malevolent being that people call Kira. He becomes completely devoid of love,

compassion and mercy. He views himself as the only rightful savior of mankind and he’s convinced that all his actions are justified, no matter how inhuman they might be. He is shown to even be willing to sacrifice his own family, if pushed to that point. He is so convinced that what he is doing is right that he never falters in his beliefs of creating a utopia (that is actually a dystopia), even when he crosses the thin line between punishing criminals and killing innocent people for the sake of “justice”. Light is a complex, layered character that, unlike L, doesn’t get emotionally involved with anything or anyone, which makes him seem like the winner.

 Trivia:

 -Kenichi Matsuyama (L) and Tatsuya Fujiwara (Light) became “so immersed” in their character portrayals, that they did not talk to one another while on the set; only when filming ceased did they converse and “went out for a drink or two”;

-Tatsuya Fujiwara said that he felt difficulty portraying Light because he has no signature mannerisms (like L) and therefore has his feelings displayed by his face;

   

-Fujiwara explained that he wanted Light to cry in a particular scene even though the director told him that “Light doesn’t cry”, since the actor believed that the scene would feel “more honest”;

-The actor said that he “could understand” Light’s intentions to create a new world even though “murder is a horrible thing”;

-According to Ohba, Light sees Misa Amane, who he uses as an accomplice, as a “bad person” who killed people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her. Despite this, he keeps her alive even after her memories of being Kira have been removed for the second (and final) time;

-The name Yagami literally means “night god”.

  

“Risking your life and doing something that could rob you of your life are exact opposites.”

-L (“Hard Run”)

L decides to act based on the saying: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. In my opinion he gets involved more than Light does and genuinely expresses his feelings to him: “Light-kun is my first friend”. This shows his humanity. All the eccentric quirks he has acquired are said to be due to the heavy strain of upholding the name of L (according to the novel L: Change the World).

Writer Tsugumi Ohba said that L is the smartest character “because the plot requires it”. He added that he personally views L as “slightly evil”.L is quite secretive and cautious; he has great deductive powers, though his appearance masks his abilities. Meticulous and analytical, L is good at deceiving his opponents and is willing to take drastic measures to solve a case. Some of his tactics are quite bold. Though he doesn’t show it in an evident manner L does get involved in every case and is well aware of the implications. Whenever L gives percentages to indicate how much he suspects a person of committing a crime, such as “five percent” he may in fact be over ninety percent convinced of their culpability.

Although he is often seen sitting and inactive, L retains a high athletic ability. In chapter 38 of the manga, L suggests that even though he eats only sweet food, he remains underweight because the brain uses the most calories of any organ in the body. He also says that if he sits normally, his reasoning ability would drop by 40%, Interestingly, in the manga he is seen sitting on the floor in a pose similar to how one would meditate, while thinking deeply about the Kira case.

Ohba said that his favorite human character in the series was L because Ohba believed that the detective was the “strongest” character in the series “besides Light”. Obata also chose L as his favorite due to “appearance, personality, everything”. In response to the question “Who was the most fun (character) to draw?” both Ohba and Obata answered “L”;

Kenichi Matsuyama, the actor who portrays L in the movies, described L and Light as having “such unique characters that they’re impossible to understand” and that “the inside of L’s head remains a mystery” to him. Matsuyama said that L and Light are “extremely” alike in that they have “very strong sense of justice”.

   

Trivia:

-Matsuyama admits having experienced some difficulty in trying to portray L (especially in emulating L’s postures). He decided to interpret him as an individual who does not “quite understand other people on an emotional level”;

-Kira, L, Mello, Near are all in alphabetical order; Ohba considered at first the initials “I” and “J”, but decided that they didn’t “feel as good” as L. He mentions having given L the alias “Ryuzaki” because L is pronounced like R in Japanese;

-L can tie two cherry stems in a knot with his mouth, as seen in episode 18;

-The novel states that L helped in the prevention of World War III when he was only eight years old;

-In the novel, L takes a few capoeira lessons from Suruga. This is most likely a homage to the on-going fan speculation of L’s capoeira like fighting style in the Death Note manga and anime;

-In the novel, L completely loses (for the first time) his composure and calm attitude;

-In the novel it is described that L did consider Light to be his friend, going as far as holding on to Light’s broken watch as a memento and saying: “Light, I’ll see you on the other side. Let us explore the world of nothingness together”;

-According to the timeline that is presented on each page of the novel, it appears L was to have only 272 days left to live prior to writing his name onto the page of the Death Note. Based on this bit of information it’s obvious that L’s remaining natural lifespan at the end of the second movie would only have amounted to less than a year.

9 Interesting Facts about Death Note

Artist Takeshi Obata originally thought of the books as "'Bible-like'... something you would automatically think was a Death Note." Deciding that this design would be cumbersome, he instead opted for a more accessible college notebook;

Death Notes were originally conceived as changing based on time and  location, resembling scrolls in ancient Japan, or the Old Testament in medieval Europe; however, this idea was never used;

In the pilot chapter of the manga there is a Death Eraser with which one can  erase names written in the Death Note. Once a name is erased the person comes back to life if the body was not damaged;

Writer Tsugumi Ohba said that Near's climactic speech about good and evil was rooted in his own beliefs : "Nobody can say what is right and what is wrong, what is righteous and what is evil. Even if there is a God, and I had his teachings before me, I would think it through and decide if that was right or wrong myself."

---Near, chapter 105 ("Impossible")

Ohba and Obata rarely met in person during the creation of the serialized manga; instead the two met with the editor. The first time they met in person was at an editorial party in January 2004. Obata said that, despite the intrigue, he did not ask his editor about Ohba's plot developments as he anticipated the new thumbnails every week;

Ohba claims that the series ended more or less in the manner that he intended for it to end; he considered the idea of L defeating Light Yagami with Light dying but instead chose to use the "Yellow Box warehouse" ending. According to Ohba the details had been set "from the beginning";

13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba's "enjoyment of humorous stories";

Regarding the anime adaptation Tetsuro Araki, the director, said that he wished to convey aspects that "made the series interesting" instead of simply "focusing on morals or the concept of justice." He concluded that Light's presence was "the most compelling" aspect; therefore the adaptation chronicles Light's "thoughts and actions as much as possible";

Araki said that, because in an anime the viewer cannot "turn back pages" in the manner that a manga reader can, the anime staff ensured that the show clarified details. Inoue added that the staff did not want to get involved with every single detail, so they selected elements to emphasize. Due to the complexity of the original manga, he described the process as "definitely delicate and a great challenge."

Makura no Danshi (Pillow Boys)

Makura no Danshi (Pillow Boys) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Assez Finaud Fabric. It began airing in Japan on 13 July 2015.

I saw the anime and I think it brings a new and refreshing concept. There are 12 “pillow boys”, each with his own personality, who talk and sleep beside the viewer. Since it is a first-person story you feel like part of it, which is interesting. Each episode is short, I watched 10 episodes in two hours, more or less. It’s difficult to stop after one or two episodes because you want to see all the boys and find one who suits your tastes (if you’re a girl). So yes, I think this anime is dedicated to girls/ women in general.

The first “pillow boy” is Mary/ Merry, the cute and caring type. 

                                                                                   


Sōsuke Tanaka (senpai boy), the second, is the business type.          

The third one, represented by Kanade Hanamine, is the music boy; he is narcissistic and terrified of spiders (I think he is funny). 

Eiji Kijinami (dialect boy), one of my favorites, is the fourth “pillow boy”; he is honest and misunderstood. 

Next is Ryūshi Theodore Emori, the astronomy boy; he’s passionate and shy, delicate even with feminine features (bishounen). 

The sixth boy is Yū Maiki, a freshman with illusions of grandeur (he has an eyepatch and thinks there’s something evil growing under it). 

Haruto Enokawa is a five-year old boy, the cherub type. 

The eighth boy, Nao Sasayama, is also one of my favorites; he’s outgoing and kind of blunt, very charismatic.

The last of my favorites is Shirusu Mochizuki (librarian boy), calm, charismatic and fond of books. 

Yonaga and Yayoi Chigiri (flower arrangement boys) are twins. They’re charismatic and kind of perverts (hentai). 

Yuichirō Iida is the last and the oldest (41 years); I haven’t seen him yet, since the anime is ongoing.

The anime is addictive and fun to watch, so I recommend it (especially to girls). The opening theme song, "Makura no Danshi", written by Masayoshi Ōishi, will be performed by voice actor Natsuki Hanae.

                                   

Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji)- a closer look at Ciel and Sebastian

Black Butler (Japanese:  Kuroshitsuji) is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso.

A 24-episode anime adaption aired from October 2008 to March 2009. The second season, Kuroshitsuji II, aired in 2010 spanning 18 episodes with two new main characters, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus, following the aftermath of the first season. This series was the anime's own adaptation and did not feature in the manga. A third anime series, titled Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus, was broadcast between July 10 and September 12, 2014. A two-part theatrical OVA titled Kuroshitsuji: Book of Murder screened in Japanese theaters on October 25, and November 15, 2014.

In Victorian-era London lives the young boy, Ciel Phantomhive. On the night of his tenth birthday, a fire engulfed his manor house, his parents were murdered, and he was captured by a mysterious organization. After a month of enduring excruciating and humiliating torture, Ciel returns to the Phantomhive household with an enigmatic black-clad butler, Sebastian Michaelis. To others, it seems that the butler is simply the best at his craft, from anticipating his young master's needs to carrying them out to the best of his inexplicable abilities.

Little do they know, Sebastian is actually a demon that has entered into a contract with Ciel, promising to help the boy achieve revenge on those who have wronged him in exchange for his soul. As the Queen's Guard dog and standing at the top of the British underworld, Ciel solves the crimes plaguing London while waiting for the day he will exact his revenge.

Though arrogant and proud, Ciel has a good side to him and he often does things to help and support those who care for him. Like the way he cares for his servants well-being and for Lizzy, his fiance. Though he is childish, there are moments when he acts in a mature way, like how he pretended not to care for his ring because either with or without it he is the heir of the Phantomhive family. It is this determination and strong will which Ciel often shows, that Sebastian likes about his young master. He also likes his greed and his ambition. Sebastian doesn’t want other souls and is patient knowing that the only soul he needs and wants is that of his master.

Ciel is a very complex character, displaying wickedness and cunning, as well as kindness and humanity, he is calculated and grown-up for his age, as well as childish at times. Ciel is able to solve difficult and dangerous cases, though he’s hopeless with tying his shoe laces or getting dressed by himself. This complexity at such a tender age is what attracts not only Sebastian, but also other demons (Claude) and humans (Alois).

Ciel often finds it entertaining to challenge Sebastian in areas of both strength and skill. He is confident that Sebastian will never betray him because of the contract, no matter how much he challenges him.

Sebastian cares for Ciel, not only for his physical health, but also for the kind of person Ciel is and will be. A reason for this could be that Sebastian is interested in Ciel’s soul and he wants that soul to be complex and well nurtured. That is why Sebastian doesn’t spoil his young master and is even careful to make sure that Ciel will be gradually humbled by one or two defeats. Sebastian has noted that because of Ciel's talent in competition, he overestimates his skills to the point of thinking he can never lose, so he doesn’t want his master to become too confident. Ciel is aware that Sebastian is only interested in his soul and doesn’t fool himself into thinking that the demon actually loves him. This is proven to be correct, though Sebastian’s behavior is often difficult to understand and leaves room for interpretation. Being a demon he feels and perceives things in a different way than humans do. Still, my opinion is that his attitude towards Ciel is the closest thing to love that a demon can have.

• SPOILER ahead

I arrived at that conclusion by comparing Sebastian’s relationship with Ciel to Claude’s relationship with Alois. Sebastian cares for the kind of person Ciel will be and he doesn’t hesitate to reprimand or teach a lesson to his young master when it is necessary, even if it’s a harsh one. Claude doesn’t do that, which leaves the impression he doesn’t care. But we don’t know Claude’s true feelings either because he’s good at hiding them and, again, he’s a demon.

What Claude does to Alois  is because the boy openly shows him that he wants his affection, which I think is considered weakness by demons. Ciel doesn’t do that, but I often wondered: if he did, would Sebastian’s attitude towards him change? Would Sebastian be able to do to Ciel what Claude did to Alois? Remember how the second anime ends, what Sebastian does to “check” if Ciel is still human.  From a human perspective, you don’t do something like that to the one you love or care about. But Sebastian is a demon.

• END of spoiler
    

There is a scene, in the first anime, after Aberline encourages Ciel to have hope for the future, to live his life (right before Sebastian decides to let Ciel see how he can manage without his butler). Sebastian gives Ciel a look that I can describe as scary  (see image); it’s the first and only time when I saw the demon look at the boy like that. At that moment, does Sebastian feel a change in Ciel? Is he concerned that his young master might have second thoughts about the contract? If he did, would Sebastian kill him? I’m not sure.

I noticed there are many questions in this article to which I’m not sure what the answer is. Probably because Sebastian is a demon and we don’t know how demons feel or see things.

Things are different with Souma and Agni: Agni unconditionally cares for his prince and the bond between them is very strong. That is because both of them are human.

See? This happens when I analyze characters or relationships too much. In the end I just want to say that both Ciel and Sebastian are complex characters and that is why the relationship between them is so addictive to watch.

Naruto/ Naruto Shippuden

 Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto.

Naruto’s dream is to become Hokage, the leader of his village and to be acknowledged by the others. Throughout the series he grows a lot as a character, showing more strength and courage than people believed he possessed. His nindou (way of the ninja, motto) is: Never give up! Which makes him a gutsy ninja, as his teacher says. But Naruto is not the only complex character in the anime; there are many others who, influenced by Naruto, decide to follow or find their own path and “write” their own story. Even some “bad” guys prove to have something good in them and switch gradually from villains to good guys. All the characters have a story which is touching in its own way and their stories intertwine creating wonderful bonds between people : bonds of friendship, trust, rivalry and love. Because in the end, this is an anime/ a manga about bonds, about the courage of persevering against all odds and about hope. Hope for peace and harmony between people, hope for the future. It is also an anime/ a manga about pain and suffering and how people can heal each-other, find strength and rise above them. It is a story about life and what you can learn from it: learn from the past and live in the present with hope for the future, while finding strength within and never give up! That is what Naruto teaches us and I think these are wonderful lessons.

When asked about what was Naruto‍'​s main theme during the first part, Kishimoto answered that it is how people accept each other citing Naruto's development across the series. Kishimoto said that since he was unable to focus on romance during Part I, he was to emphasize it more in the second part, the one beginning with volume 28 in the manga, despite finding it difficult.

When originally creating the Naruto story, Kishimoto looked to other shōnen manga as influences for his work, although he attempted to make his characters as unique as possible. He based it off of Japanese culture. The separation of the characters into different teams was intended to give each group a specific flavor. Kishimoto wished for each member to be "extreme," having a high amount of aptitude in one given attribute yet be talentless in another." Kishimoto added that, as Naruto takes place in a "Japanese fantasy world," he has set certain rules, in a systematic way so that he could easily "convey the story." Kishimoto wanted to "draw on" the Chinese zodiac tradition, which had a long-standing presence in Japan; the zodiac hand signs originate from this. He has expressed concerns that the use of chakras and hand signs makes Naruto too Japanese, but still believes it to be an enjoyable read. When Kishimoto was creating the setting of the Naruto manga, he initially concentrated on the designs for village of Konohagakure, the primary setting of the series. Kishimoto asserts that his design for Konohagakure was created "pretty spontaneously without much thought", but admits that the scenery is based on his home in the Okayama prefecture in Japan. 

The soundtrack and the animation of Naruto draws you in and you find yourself falling in love with many characters, rooting for them and even hating other characters, analyzing situations and characters’ behavior. It is an anime/ manga that captivates and you find yourself unable to let it go (even with the annoying amount of fillers- though some of them are interesting). It is one of the best and most complex anime/ manga I’ve ever seen/ read.