The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in. —Harold Goddard
I have always believed that storytellers recreate magic, attach imagination its wings, and spread the power of beautiful idealistic thoughts, warmth and an ethereal fairytale that is full of hope and meaning.
When I chanced upon Naruto- one of the finest animes made in recent times, thanks to my lovely and kind friend sharuto (its a name I call her because she gave me the gift of naruto) and Alok(my brother,friend and guide) I didnt realise I was stepping into a world that would strengthen my belief in human goodness and deepen my trust in the power of our cultural influences.
As many of you would know animes are a japanese form of animated series which not only entrtain but educate the young and young at heart about the beauty and charm that life holds.
Naruto is special because it captures the life of an aspiring ninja, an orphan by birh but a believer in destiny to become the village head or the hokage. His mischief, loyalty, friendship and honor make this anime special and memorable. I have drawn strength from this anime whenever i have felt an ebb in my emotions.
Today I had the opportunity to read in detail about how Naruto is created as a manga-What is Kishimoto's background and what lies in the mind of such a beautiful storyteller? As I read through details of his life- a life that isnt very deviant frm that of Naruto's - humorous, matter of fact and always willing to share his techniques and ideas Shimoto is Naruto in human form. Whether the character grew on him or the character is an extention of him is hard to say!
He loves Matrix the movie and has been inspired by dragonball another popular manga. He uses a copic marker to make his drawings. He loves electric poles which many a times give him ideas to design and create opportunities to present the ninja in interesting formations and poses. He likes following and researching japanese culture and feels his nindo is to create more and more inspiring manga. He cant hav enough of his home town okayama and looks like he was inspired to imagine konoha as an exention of the beauty of homeland.
He likes spending time in japanese tea gardens and likes watching kabuki performances. Tokusatsu dramas and rpgs also seem to give him more and more ideas to make naruto what it is today.
All the above lines are biographical in nature, to me they are more reverence than record. Through this post, I want to capture the learnings of the day based on this powerful story teller's life:
- beauty, imagination and humor make a great story
- attention to little details- from symmetry to electric poles, can help strike a path breaking idea into a story
- cultural roots are the bedrock for the future of entertainment
- stories stick because they usually have seemingly ordinary folks out there who keep no secrets about their stories but strive to do what they do best better
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