I'll be honest, I liked Naruhina because I relate to Hinata, about being inspired by and having feelings for dorky guys. I hate that they forced awkwardness into a ship that really wasn't awkward at all to begin with.
Oh I feel you 100%.
The worst part is that Naruhina had SO many chances of happening and becoming SUCH an honestly amazing couple earlier on, but Kishimoto does not know how to write romance. As well as women 💔 And apparently, no one in the creative team does either.
I was a big Naruhina fan, I was rooting for them from the start (insert meme of Tyra Banks yelling I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU) but bc I love Hinata and respect her as a character and fellow woman, there comes a point where you just gotta say "enough is enough." The girl nearly died trying to save Naruto from Pein, and he doesn't even spare her a moment to talk about her confession? Literally nOTHING?! I'm not saying Naruto had to return her feelings bc obvs at that point, he was unaware and he was still crushing on Sakura (and/or Sasuke, one might add), but he could have AT LEAST acknowledged them. I kept waiting for a scene that would address that situation but after so many episodes, I just.... Idk man, something switched inside me.
And then, okay, so. There's the War. Alright. I get it, not the best time to talk about love confessions. BUT THEN, in The Last, it's been 2 years after the war and Naruto STILL hasn't talked to her about it?! The writers made him so dumb thinking that Hinata loves him the same way he loves ramen---BITCHES ARE WE FOR REAL RIGHT NOW?!?! We had to get a movie AFTER THE ORIGINAL SHOW ENDED just for the main character to get the girl, who he wasn't shown to be romantically inclined to at all. Naruto cared for her during the show, yes, but it was pretty clear that Hinata's feelings were not reciprocated. Not romantically, at least. And instead of showing them growing closer organically throughout the show, we get a lucklaster movie that makes Naruto look like a fool, and Hinata becoming a damsel in distress, bc I guess that's her role now 🤷♀️ uGH I hate that movie with passion lkjhljkhkjh
There were so many ways to fix this issue too. Like, the most obvious one would have been to include A SINGLE SCENE with Naruto thanking her for her nearly giving up her life for him, but he's not ready/sure how to address her feelings. That would have established the fact that he acknowledges her confession, is grateful for her actions, but is not in a mental or emotional place to do anything about them. That would have been the most respectful way to go about it, and as a viewer I would have accepted it and been happy with it. Then the rest of the show would go as normal, with the added inclusion that, at the very least, Hinata is becoming a more established figure in Naruto's mind and not just an afterthought. Maybe even sprinkle in some scenes with Naruto thinking about her and/or talking to maybe Sakura or Kakashi and asking for advice. Maybe include Hinata in more scenes and missions with him where they interact and Naruto learns more about her as a person. It's not too much of a rewrite, I think, it's a simple solution and it pains me that it got overlooked so easily.
Then, if you really wanna get creative with it, either make Naruto gently turn her down after the war, citing once more that he just doesn't see her in a romantic light but would still like to remain friends with her---OR make them date for a little while and break up. HEAR ME OUT, bc this helps flesh out both their relationship BUT ALSO Hinata's character. Being turned down or broken up with the guy she spent years pining after would force her to come out of his shadow and find who she is outside of Naruto's influence. Bc one of the major criticisms about Hinata (mainly in Shippuden) is that she has her whole personality centered around Naruto. And so, in that way, she grows into her own person, becomes a more fleshed-out character, and begins to live a life without him in her mind 24/7. She's the fucking love interest of the main character, she DESERVES to have her character well written! AND THEN!! Make Naruto notice. Make him see this familiar yet new Hinata in a different light. Make him think about her, obsess over her like he did in The Last. Make em hang out as friends first, with Hinata finally being comfortable in his presence AND in her own self, and make Naruto fall for her instead. You have well-written characters now, you have the drama of "oh no I like her, fuck, what to I do, I already fucked it up once with her," you have the romance and the giddiness of seeing the protagonist bending over backwards trying to think of ways to win her back, as well as the satisfaction of watching a now confident young woman being respected and loved the way she deserves! And when they eventually do end up giving it another go, it happens with a lot more thought and care! IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING HARD GODDAMN IT!!
Fanfic writers are doing for Naruhina A WHOLE LOT MORE than canon could have ever done for them. Unfortunately, I no longer enjoy Naruhina as a ship, to the point I very rarely read fics about them (unless they break up later), but I do agree that there was a lot of potential for them. They work wonderfully as a couple, but only when people put in the effort to write them properly.
[ID: Naruto fanart. The first shows Sasuke leaning over Naruto at the end of VOTE1; Naruto is unconscious, and Sasuke looks tired and miserable as rain pours around them. The second has the same composition, but now they're adults, and Naruto is leaning over Sasuke with a big grin as Sasuke smiles back sweetly, laying in a flowery field. End ID]
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