All The Young People Said, "We're Too Young To Die, and, We're Going to Change Something."

It's funny isn't it?
A 28 year old man watching Japanese Anime, "Cartoons", with the the rapt attention of a child.
Drinking it in as if it was water and real life was a desert.
But : here I am.

I think I'll explain a bit why this is so in this article.

Tears

I shed a few tears. That was how much I was moved by Episode 201 of Naruto. I knew once it had finished that I would need to write an article to express the thoughts it had engendered in me.

I find it difficult to cry. When I do cry, it is almost always because of a movie or Anime. It is always the stories of other people which I vicariously live in lieu of my own which move me to tears. I suppose I should be grateful that my own life isn't interesting enough to prompt a powerful emotional response, yet, I have to admit, such a life leaves me feeling very empty inside.

Naruto

Naruto tells the story of a 12 year old boy-ninja named Naruto Uzumaki. The world of Naruto is one in which Ninja are the military of a nation and children destined to protect their nation as Ninja begin training at a very young age. Though Naruto and his friends are only 12-13 years old, they are full-fledged Ninja, and thus involved in a very adult world of kill or be killed. Despite the appearance of harshness in such a life, wars are not constant, and peace-times are welcomed. The series focuses on what it means to be an adolescent, when you have been given adult preparation from a young age and are beginning to enter an adult world. Despite the apparent burden this would seem to impose on a young soul, the series demonstrates that children will still find a way to be children, and ceaselessly surprise adults with their innocence and resilience.

Episode 197-201

Anime series often have "story arcs", a series of episodes which follow the development of a particular event in the overall framework of the series.
This particular story arc relates the tale of how Gennou, a Shinobi from a rival ninja village, sets up an elaborate plan to destroy Konoha (The Hidden Leaf Village and Naruto's home).
At this point in the overall epic that is the story of Naruto, the audience has developed an intimate familiarity with all of the characters.
It is like this for anything in which human beings engage in the role of observer. Over time we inevitably develop a connection with that which we have been observing, the more time spent, the deeper the interest, the greater the connection. Soap Operas. Sitcoms. Sport Teams. Bird Watching. Medical Dramas. Invariably, we as observers bond with that which we observe.
So it is with Naruto and his young friends.

Supporting Characters

"How empty a show would be if it only had a protagonist and antagonist. Because the beauty in life is in all its variety."
This particular story arc in the Naruto universe marks the first time all the Genin (Rookie Ninja) are gathered together to confront a challenge.
It is a highly anticipated moment, akin to that of an "All-Star Game" for a sports fan.
Naruto and his fellow Genin are divided into 4 distinct teams. The teams were formed by carefully balancing the strengths and personalities of the members. Normally, the teams operate separately, fulfilling individual missions assigned to squads whose talents can best lead to its successful completion. So, it is very exciting when a threat arises so severe that it requires that all the teams work together.

All of the Genin are very unique. They have very different skills, personalities and individual histories. What they share in common is being very talented, brave and confident young people, but, an education dedicated to making them strong and a lifestyle which constantly tests and challenges them cannot but make them so.

What was incessantly thrilling to me was the attention this story arc put into insuring that all 11 of the Rookie Genin were given development and that despite the large numbers, everyone behaved in accordance with their established characters. Respect for the Canon of a beloved series is essential to a Geek like me.

Gennou laid out a very elaborate trap in his plan for the destruction of Konoha. One so convoluted it requires that all 11 of the Rookie Genin employ their unique abilities to unravel it. What is so captivating and prompting of difficult self-examination for me is just how valuable and needed Naruto and his friends are. Their home is in imminent danger, the need is very real, but, the depth of their abilities and resourcefulness is also very real, and they demonstrate that as a team, complimenting and strengthening one another, they are up to the task.

Gennou himself is a wonderful antagonist for the story arc. This article's main focus is on the joy of being young, strong and confident in a world where you are genuinely needed and constantly being challenged to grow, but, as a counterpoint to this theme, the "enemy" here is an old man.

One thing I love about the best Animes is that there is no "villain" per se. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a reason for their actions. Such a simplistic and shallow and "flat" label is absent. "Stories should reflect the evolution of a species." I have personally never felt satisfied with anyone being labeled as nothing more than "bad", and the best Animes do not settle for such an empty label either.

"All problems can be traced back to a person's hurt feelings." War and violence will always lead to anger and a desire for revenge. In the world of Naruto, peace can never truly exist as long as there are those who cannot forgive and accept the past. In the case of Gennou, he seeks revenge for the destruction of his ninja village The Hidden Dragonfly following a war with Konoha, and the death of his son, who died during the war. He has an understandable reason for wanting revenge.

But what Gennou didn't expect was Ramen. Ramen is a bowl of Japanese noodles mixed with meat and vegetables in a delicious broth. Part of Gennou's plot is to visit different locations throughout the village to check the status of the explosives he has laid throughout its infrastructure, and, he coincidentally gets to eat out in restaurants at the same time. It is at one restaurant in particular Ichiraku's Ramen that he meets his reason to ultimately not execute his revenge, in the form of Naruto. Naruto reminds Gennou of his own son very much. Naruto's warm and engaging personality cannot help but make him befriend others, as is the case with Gennou.

Gennou's elaborate plot demands that Naruto and his Genin friends exert themselves mightily to save their village from destruction, each one of them distinguishing themselves along the way, and affirming their worthiness and value enshrined in the vigor and energy of their youth.

In the end though, it all proves to be unnecessary. Gennou intentionally disarmed his own explosives, so that only the "appearance" of danger was real, but Konoha itself was never in any danger. Why? A Treasure Hunt. Gennou is old and senses his time to die is nearly upon him; his original intention was for his final living gesture to be revenge for his son's death, but, meeting Naruto who is full of life, courage, and energy, elicits a change of heart in Gennou, who decides instead to make his final living gesture a testament to the Treasure Hunts he enjoyed with his son when his son was Naruto's age.

Anime celebrates the joys of being young, powerful and full of promise, but, in this episode, the absolute value of the presence of O'Chan (older people) in young people's lives and their very real value is celebrated magnificently as well.

Gennou, a lone old man, challenges Konoha to employ the entirety of its forces to meet his "faux" plot. He necessitates that the young Genin use all their talents to dispel his elaborate ruse. As he lies dying at the end of the story, he does so happily, because he proved to his son and to himself, that he was still valuable, that his life was relevant to the very end.

Such an experience cannot but enhance the young Genin who challenged him. Gennou's death adds life to the lives of the Genin whose challenge and testament they met.

Everyone just wants to have a meaningful life, where they are challenged to grow and can distinguish themselves in such a way that they will be remembered by others.

Naruto and his young friends all proved themselves to be worthy of their roles as ninjas and protectors of their village.
Geenou demonstrated that an old man nigh on his death bed can still be very relevant and test young people to their limits.

In a world of Shinobi, where war is a part of life, an event which could have been yet another scar in a history of violence, turned instead into a test for the confirmation of self-worth of a group of bright adolescents and a clever old man. Why? Because what is far more significant then the violence produced from past pains is the bonds formed from powerful shared experiences.

Anime is always teaching me indispensable life lessons like this, every time I watch, without fail. Truly my life is better with Anime in it teaching and guiding me what truly makes existence meaningful.

Someday, I too will know what its like to affirm the value of my life as Naruto and his young friends did and old man Gennou did.