Naruto

Title:  Naruto
Mangaka:  Masashi Kishimoto
Length:  59 Volumes (ongoing)
English Translation?  Yes.  55 volumes so far by Viz Media.
Demo/Genre:  Shounen/Fantasy/Action/Comedy/Drama

How did I hear about it?  How did I not?  I'll admit I was a little late to read it though.

Twelve years before the start of the story, the Hidden Leaf village, Konohagakure, was attacked by the enormously powerful Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.  The most powerful ninja in the village gave his life to stop the demon and seal it within the body of a newborn infant.  Now that child, the titular Naruto Uzumaki, is a twelve-year-old prankster in Konohagakure's ninja academy.  The first part of the story (which spans 27 volumes) follows young Naruto as he becomes a fledgling ninja, bonds with his new teammates and instructor, and learns to harness the immense power that lies within him.  Of course, there's a big chunk of plot hammered within there, but that's beyond summing up without spoiling (though I imagine you've already read it).  The second part of the series (volume 28 to the present) picks up 2 1/2 years after the first part of the manga with the 15-year-old Naruto returning to his village after years of gruesome training.  The plot then follows the 15-16 year old Naruto as he and his comrades face a new and powerful enemy that pulls the 5 hidden ninja villages into a world war.

Hm...I feel that my summary skills are lacking.  It sounds kinda lame the way I put it, but believe me you, it's far from.  I enjoyed the first part of the manga.  Kishimoto-sensei constructed a tale filled with great characters and a plot that steadily builds, setting the stage for the latter half.  Let's talk characters for a moment.  I kept hearing from my friends how much they loved Naruto (the character).  Reading the first half, I just didn't see it.  I didn't dislike him, but he was a hot-headed, immature kid.  Basically, a 12-year-old.  As the story progressed, he began to exhibit a bit more bad-assery, but he just never crossed into my Top 5 favorite characters.  Young Sasuke, Naruto's obligatory rival, faired quite well with me though.  He was tough, serious, sarcastic, emotionally conflicted.  I adored young Sasuke.  My number one though was forever held by Kakashi Hatake, Naruto's instructor.  Before reading Naruto, Roy Mustang of Fullmetal Alchemist was my favorite badass ever.  He has some serious competition now that I've met Kakashi.  Everything from Kakashi's character design (will we ever get to see beneath the mask?) to his attitude was just...gaaaah.  You can't see it right now, but I've got fangirl hands.  So much love...

As I said, I was certainly enjoying myself while reading the first part, but what solidified Naruto as one of my all-time favorite manga is the second section.  First off, Naruto (the character) leapt up to fill the position as second favorite character (Kakashi is a tough man to top).  Teenage Naruto is a much more mature and complex character.  With each chapter, I think I loved him more and more.  Sasuke, on the other hand, dropped several spots.  His confliction that drew me in in the first part has led him down a sketchy path that has made him...somewhat less endearing to me (though I am still a fan).  The plot that was laid out during the first section now deepens and expands, even managing to draw a tear out from my cold black heart on more than one occasion.

All in all, this manga was incredible.  I talked about the main cast, but really, there are sooo many characters here, and they're all really incredible.  This series is occasionally laugh out loud funny, intense, and even emotional.  Sometimes after reading for a long stretch, I would just feel emotionally exhausted.  If you are somehow like me and are late reading this series, then go out and read it now.  If you're a shounen fan, then there's no excuse for not having read it.  If you're mainly a shoujo reader (like me), then perhaps you should consider it. Especially in the second "half" (called Naruto Shippuden in the anime), this series will appeal to a wide range of manga fans.  Will I collect it?  Yup.  In fact, I loved it so much that as soon as I "finished" reading it, I hopped onto ebay to see if there were any reasonably priced box sets available.  I now have volumes 1-30.  I have a ways to go, but having 25 to go is much easier to deal with than 55.