Though initially the series appears to focus more on Naruto himself, attention soon shifts more towards the bigger picture and the introduction of the show’s main villain – Orochimaru. Nevertheless, despite following this conventional recipe, I still found the plot wholly gripping. Group of friends whose bonds are stronger than any foe – check. Said character rapidly improves and becomes more powerful with each passing mission – check. Lively, young male lead protagonist with an unusually strong power – check.

Instead it joins a plethora of other similar shows and happily falls back on a box-ticking exercise. No matter how I look at it, Naruto doesn’t attempt to push the boundaries of the shounen genre all that much. The show follows him in the early stages of his career and the deadly foes that not only pose a threat to Konoha, but also to himself and the entire ninja world. Shortly after he was born, the powerful nine-tailed demon fox was sealed inside him and, as the host of this monster, Naruto has spent his life as the village outcast. Twelve year-old shinobi-in-training, Naruto Uzumaki, lives in the hidden ninja village of Konoha. With all the extensive publicity, fanboyism and build-up surrounding the series, I had foolishly come to anticipate that Naruto would be different however, as I soon came to discover, I was wrong. Consisting of dizzying highs of compelling fights followed by the bitterly crushing disappointment of tedious filler, the genre in itself becomes a love/hate affair. I’m not ashamed to admit that I adore shounen anime, but it's a rocky romance.

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