14. The Meaning of Life (And Death) - And Anime - Naruto and Inuyasha - adds to my list of Anima Favourites!

18 July 2022

The Meaning of Life - And Anime - 

Naruto and Inuyasha

why are we sucker for stories?

because, it's our way of grasping what we need to feed the mind, body and spirit.

about being human, about us, and me.

in a story, you have at least one character.

this character has a goal he/she must achieve.

it's not an easy goal so there must be grit and resilience

to overcome any obstacles in situations that look overwhelming or almost impossible.

this goal is linked to the character's needs and wants,

the character's desire.

the desire is linked to the character's spine.

so this character must undergo change, 

go on a perilous journey to reach that goal.

inch by inch, the character moves forward and nearer 

to reaching, attaining and achieving that goal.

but WHY is this goal so important?

the meaning of life

our life's purpose

18 July 2022

NARUTO & INUYASHA

at this point, i've watched Seasons 1-4 for Naruto

and Seasons 1-5 for Inuyasha

Naruto dreams and works hard to become Hokage, leader of the lands

Half human and half demon, Inuyasha wants to become a full-fledge demon

almost impossible goals but they are serious and consistent in reaching their goals.

along the way, they find their life's purpose and their version of the meaning of life.

the anime shows are loud and clear about their goals.

they are also loud and clear about why they want, need and desire these goals.

i do love Naruto and Inuyasha for their grit and resilience.

they are amusing and lovable characters, 

not difficult to fall in love with the anime serials!

what's more, these anime is like bleach, gantz and fruits basket,

they have a huge cast of supporting characters.

right now, i'd say, for anime serials, i really enjoy

- naruto

- bleach

- inuyasha

- gantz

- fruits basket

- toradora!

- code geass

below: 

pic 1 - Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura

pic 2 - Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo (fox demon child), Miroku (priest), Sango (demon slayer)

pic 3 & 4 - Code Geass

24 Sep 2022

The Meaning of Death - And Anime - 

Naruto and Inuyasha, 

Code Geass, Gantz

INUYASHA

Season 1 to Season 7, 

total 193 episodes (watched)

i've completed Inuyasha Seasons 1-7, till the end. somewhere in Season 5-6, i was getting a little tired of the repetitive nature of each episode. thankfully, Season 7 the final act was well-paced and brought the series to a good ending. 

kinda sad to see the death of some characters, like kikyo and kagura... also a little sad that the anime ended but i guess the final act was written well such that the anime left a good impression on me.

CODE GEASS - Lelouch Of The Rebellion

Season 1, 25 eps

Season 2, 25 eps

since netflix was pulling out Code Geass, i hurried to finish the series within a week. the last episode left some form of grief that lingers for a while. i found it quite sad since they had a few deaths and relationships torn apart and ripped into shreds. 

the saddest part (though expected) was that the main character sacrificed his life for everyone, especially for his sister - since from the very beginning of the story his ultimate goal was just to create a better life for her.

death in this anime brings a lot of pain to the characters and spurs the story to move forward and the characters to take action.

NARUTO & NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

Naruto - Season 1 to Season 9, 220 episodes (watched)

Naruto Shippuden - Season 1 to 9 (awaiting release of later seasons...)

i've continued the Naruto Series and now on Naruto Shippuden, Season 8.

Naruto grows up (into a teenager)

and his ninja world is fragile, changing, at the edge of war... 

characters get killed...

i like how the show is entertaining, lively, sometimes comical, relatable, meaningful and emotional as the young characters mature and grow up to become "adults". 

i also like the tone of the series - more youthful look and feel, with matching music, pacing and action. the kiddy naughty and mischievous naruto is now in a distant past, even though Shippuden takes place around 2-3 years after Naruto left his home village to train with Jiraiya (so that he can be stronger to bring Sasuke home).

the Shippuden series introduces new characters and somehow makes them and the original cast more human with comical, playful ending fillers. i like how they poke fun of Yamato (or Tenzo). one filler had him ranting away while drunk at the pub with Asuma (or was it kakashi?). other fillers, like gameshows, talkshows and interviews make good fun out of this Yamato character too. 

what gets me the most in Shippuden is the death of jiraiya, ruthlessly killed by his own student, Pain. i'm sure it's best for the story that jiraiya is killed. but the impact of his death for a novice fan like me leaves me unsettled and very sad. especially during a time when i'm attending many wakes, including mummy's.

besides the death of jiraiya, other deaths are just as untimely and unsettling, like Asuma, Orochimaru, Gaara & Grandma Chiyo and master frog Fukasaku.

so what is the meaning of these deaths? 

and how is the meaning of life reflected in their deaths?

in naruto, they dealt with death incredibly well. 

each life reflects a theme that makes each death meaningful.

so. the 3 legendary sannins - jiraiya, tsunade and orochimaru - are of my current age (53 years old) in Shippuden, and somehow these 50+year old characters resonate with me, along with 16 year old Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino and 30+year old Kakashi, Yamato and 21year old Itachi (Sasuke's older brother). 

i realise that this series will have at least one character that will resonate with any one viewer - Naruto's world has characters of various backgrounds, age groups, experiences, personality and outlook. 

well, there's many many animes and mangas out there. 

nonetheless, i think naruto is my favourite anime at this point. 

(second comes fruits basket, then toradora!, inuyasha and gantz... woah, actually, they are all good and each are in a class of their own). 

i wish i could create an artform that has all the anime/storytelling qualities i admire in naruto (and naruto shippuden)!!

below: Season 1 Opening Sequence - 

Youthful tone, look and feel

this is my fav opening sequence music soundtrack

below left to right: 

shikamaru, sai, sakura, naruto, kakashi, yamato, hinata

below: Jiraiya and teenager Naruto

below 2 wallpapers make more sense after completing Naruto Shippuden - ends in Season 21.

minutes after writing today's blog, i came across this scene in Naruto :)

"You may try to find meaning in death, but there is only pain. An unbearable hatred, senseless deaths, eternal hatred and pain that does not heal. that's what war is."