Naruto: The Official Fan Book

Rating T+ Genre fan book Author Masashi Kishimoto Publisher Viz Media/Shonen Jump

With a promise to take you deeper than ever before into the world of the most determined ninja, Naruto the Official Fan Book tries to bring new customers up to speed with the extensive world of Naruto. Who better to review the title then a person who has never read or watched a single episode of the series. The Ultimate Source for Naruto? Lets find out!

We start our Journey with a brief history and explanation of the 5 Hidden Shinobi Villages. Created by Shinobi families that left their cities, the Hidden Villages have become the main source of Military Might for each Country in the World of Naruto. Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village, is the setting of our story and is where our main characters live out their days. The next section of our Fan Book is an in depth Analysis of life in Konoha. Detailed Maps are provided, with key areas highlighted and brief summaries for each area. Further information is available on Ninja Equipment, Weapons, Scrolls, and general life in the Hidden Leaf Village. Next we move to a more detailed look at the main characters of the series, starting off with Naruto Uzumaki himself.

For those of you who are new to the series like I was, I won't ruin the story for you. But to give you an idea of the world you are about to be introduced to; Naruto is a bumbling orphan who is constantly failing the ninja exam, is resented by the village, and has the spirit of a Nine Tailed Fox living in his body. And that is all within the first few pages of the book. The Fan Book continues with information on several of the Shinobo Missions, and a full look at the Ninja Academy itself. Concluding the Fan Book is a look at the creator himself, Masashi Kishimoto. From the tools he uses to a question and answers section with the fans, this book tries very hard to come through with it's boast of being the Ultimate Naruto Source.

If this wasn't enough, the Naruto Fan Book has enough bonus content in it to warrant a separate book on it's own. Starting with a Pinup Poster at the front of the book, this book contains Puzzles, Trivia, Recipes, and Fan Art, all centered around the world of Naruto. They even provide readers with the very first Naruto Adventure ever published, allowing readers to see how everything began. It's clear in all this content just how big of a franchise this series has become.

So after reading the Fan Book, do I feel more informed on the series? Yes. Do I feel compelled to watch or read Naruto? Yes. Do I feel like I know everything there is to know about Naruto? Not even close. Part of this is caused by it's format, as unlike other Fan Books, this book has been designed to feel and read just like a Manga itself. While this is a creative concept, the jumble of information in this particular format becomes confusing and, more often then not, requires the reader to re-read a page just to figure out the correct order in which the panels were suppose to be observed.

Furthermore, the information that is provided is not as detailed as it should be, feeling more like the appetizer to a 5 course meal as opposed to the main course itself. This is done, one supposes, to bring forth a desire in the reader to purchase the Anime and Manga in order to get a more detailed picture of the story, and in this aspect the book does succeed. For fans of the series, this may be nothing more than a quick reference guide, but for new readers interested in the world, this book will offer only the smallest taste of what the Naruto universe has to offer.