End of popular manga brings tears to loyal fans

Reading manga and watching anime are frequently pastimes enjoyed by a large number of students who enjoy the action and comedy woven into plotlines. When the ending of a big-name series was announced, there was some well-warranted panic among its regular viewers.

Recently, popular manga publication Weekly Shonen Jump announced that Masashi Kishimoto would publish the last chapter of his masterpiece, the manga “Naruto,” on Nov. 10. The manga, in circulation since the early months of 1999, has become one of the most widely-known mangas and animes in the world.

Producing a final total of 700 chapters in two installments, “Naruto” and “Naruto Shippuden,” the series seemed to last forever. What seemed to us like a harmless way to spend free time became an addicting habit of checking manga websites every Wednesday for the newest chapter in circulation for the past three years.

One thing we can both agree on is that Naruto has become one of the most essential parts of our life, sometimes even surpassing schoolwork. Now, with its ending, there will be a void.

In a sense, Naruto has become vernacular to all manga readers, who should be able to recognize the blond, hard-headed and moral-oriented protagonist who overcame discrimination to become one of the most respected in his village. Or Sasuke, the one-of-a-kind ninja prodigy who served as both Naruto’s best friend and main antagonist.

Even when characters go in and out of the main storyline and various main characters are replaced, the feud between these Naruto and Sasuke stays essential to the storyline. Even in the end, these two decide the fate of the ninja world, as if Kishimoto wanted to display some important lesson about their relationship.

Warning: The spoilers start here.

Other aspects of the manga have made it a hilarious read every day for the past few years. Typical Japanese humor, such as massive nosebleeds after an accidental peek at conveniently censored women, are incorporated into the manga as side gags. Who could forget the girls’ reactions when Sasuke and Naruto had their accidental kiss in the second chapter?

Certain aspects of the series relating to bonds and relationships justify it as more than just a slapstick action comedy, however. Through reading Naruto, viewers can both enjoy and take away an overarching message about friendship.

As an example, Naruto started his life in his village as an outcast. But after defeating several major threats, such as the Sand Village junchuukri Gaara and the leader of the rogue ninja Akatsuki organization, Pain, becomes recognized as the village’s hero.

Even his former enemies begin to value his current merit and accomplishments rather than berate him for his past.

Relationships established earlier in the series resonate again and again as the story progresses. Naruto, Sasuke and a female ninja named Sakura are put into a three-man cell at the beginning of the “Naruto” installment, only to have Sasuke defect to the “dark side” at the end.

Though this development shocked us and many others, the series was still able to deliver its trademark appeal by developing Sasuke as an antagonist and therefore establishing a new turnout for readers and watchers to look forward to.

Most non-manga readers would see “Naruto” as a trivial comic, but only readers can realize the heavy morals Kishimoto put into his greatest contemporary masterpiece underneath the somewhat lame gags. This manga has fueled our lives for the past few years, and with its ending, readers will feel drained without that magic fuel.

Oh well, at least the anime isn’t over yet.