Finally, the perfect Anime for teens has arrived. Think about an obnoxious, ADD afflicted, hyperactive kid who plans on being the greatest ninja of all time. That is the story of Naruto, a young man living in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
The Village is where the greatest of all the ninja in the nation live and train. Years earlier a deadly fox with nine tails attacked the village and caused great damage before it was captured and its spirit sealed within the body of a baby. You guessed it Naruto was that baby. Which in my opinion gives him a lot of leeway with his goofiness and joke playing.
But not to the people of the Village; they are mistrustful and see Naruto as the demonic beast who attacked their once peaceful home, shumming him and leaving him hurt, disallusioned and at times angry. All without knowing why they hate him or why he is so restless. See, no one told him that he is the vessel for the spirit of the fox.
The good thing for Naurto is that he makes friends with an instructor Iruka. Iruka does not blame Naruto for the attack of the fox, but instead accepting him and helps to foster his desire to become a great ninja.
Naruto first appeared about 6 years ago in an issue of Shonen Manga, and since then has appeared in about 30 volumes. Unfortunately, only about 10 of those volumes have been released in the U.S.
Which is a shame, because the story actually speaks to a lot of teens out there today. No, a demonic fox has not attacked our 'village' destroying homes and killing people. But a lot of teens are angry, confused and wondering at the changes going on around and in them.
And Panini and Inkworks should be thanked for putting out the new trading card set. It is a very well done set, giving established fans a familiar feeling and new fans a good base to start with on the show.
It presents information about Naruto and all the characters seen on the TV show.
The base set collects the standard 72 cards, with several levels of randomly inserted bonus cards. The bonus cards include:
A nine card "Ninja Warriors" set printed on premium foil, and feature the stealthiest ninja in the land: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, Haku, Gaara, Neji, Orochimaru and Lee. (9 cards - inserted approximately 1:7 packs).
"Friends and Foes" - Six cards stamped with holographic foil. These amazing cards feature the dual-relationships of Naruto: Guy/Kakashi, Naruto/Fox Spirit, Naruto/Saruka, Sasuke/Naruto, Sakura/Ino, and Itachi/Sasuke. (6 cards - inserted approximately 1:11 packs).
"Super Deformed" - Six die-cut cards on premium foil board that feature the characters, SUPER-DEFORMED! Look for Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, Forth Hokage, and Shikamaru. (6 cards - inserted approximately 1:11 packs).
"Group 7" - Three box loader cards (3 different cards - inserted 1 per box).
In each pack, you get nine cards at a MSRP of $1.99. Display boxes contain 24 packs. Cases contain 10 display boxes.
Inkworks and Panini also offer a six color, screenprint, foam padded, three ring Panini NARUTO: NINJA RANKS collector album has been specially created to hold the trading cards (SRP $19.95).
Frankly, I had never heard of Naruto. But then, I seldom watch any cartoo…. Uhm.. Animation other then original Looney Toons stuff. I still like Duck Dodgers in the 25 and a half-century.
So, when I first heard about this set I did some research and found out a lot I didn't know. And no, that is not how I normally live.
Apparently, Naruto: Ninja Ranks is the number one rated anime show for teenagers in pretty much all demographic areas. Boys and girls both seem to find something in the show that they can relate to with little trouble.
The show is on The Cartoon Network but I am not sure of the schedule, but I plan to check. It looks from the card set and other places I looked to deal with everything from family separation, friendship, death and personal growth that many 'live' shows don't even look at.
And it seems to be presented in a mature, honest fashion.
Inkworks is always to be counted on to deliver some of the best card sets around. Naruto is no exception, and it is also just different enough to merit your attention.
When almost all the other 'anime' cards deal with some sort of game, Naruto is a bit of fresh air.
Well worth checking into.