This is a far cry from Skeletor and Cobra which were the villains of my youth (and oops, I've just dated myself). All the characters are very unique, no cookie-cutter fill-ins here!, and the bad guys are especially well developed. However, the very dark elements succeed in intensifying the storyline, and in character building. I wouldn't recommend it for young children due to some very dark elements which surface and, of course, violence.
A friend of mine introduced me to the Naruto series, and I have liked it from the first moment I saw Gaara of the Sand walk across the screen! I am now engaged with trying to watch all of the episodes starting with the very first one, and I am impressed beyond measure by it's storyline, which manages to combine action, adventure, humor, science fiction/fantasy, and coming-of-age elements all in one.
