Naruto

Summary

The world's most popular manga: Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy who has the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him. Twelve years before the start of the series, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked the ninja village Konohagakure, slaughtering many people. In response, the leader of Konohagakure – the Fourth Hokage – sacrificed his life to seal the demon inside Naruto when he was a newborn. Konohagakure, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. A decree made by the Third Hokage forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone. Years later, Naruto was tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing a forbidden scroll, but was stopped by his teacher, Iruka Umino. That encounter made Naruto realize he was the container of the demon fox.

The main story follows Naruto and his friends' personal growth. Naruto befriends two comrades, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, who are assigned with him to form a three-person team under an experienced sensei named Kakashi Hatake. Naruto also befriends other characters that he meets throughout the series. They learn new abilities, get to know each other and other villagers better, and experience a coming-of-age journey as Naruto dreams of becoming the Hokage of Konohagakure. At first, emphasis is placed on Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, who are the members of Team 7. Later, Orochimaru, a criminal at the top of Konohagakure's most wanted list, attacks Konoha killing the Third Hokage as an act of revenge. This causes one of the three legendary ninja, Jiraiya to search for his partner Tsunade, to become the Fifth Hokage. During that search, it is revealed that Orochimaru also desires to acquire Sasuke Uchiha due to his powerful genetic heritage. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill his brother Itachi, who destroyed all his clan, Sasuke goes to him. Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, leaving Konoha for two-and-a-half years of training to prepare himself for the next time he meets Sasuke.

After the training period, a mysterious organization called Akatsuki attempts to capture the nine powerful tailed beasts including the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside of Naruto. Several ninjas from Konohagakure, including Team 7, fight against the Akatsuki members and search for their teammate Sasuke. Sasuke, in the meantime betrays Orochimaru and faces Itachi to take revenge. Although Itachi dies, Sasuke is told by the Akatsuki founder Madara Uchiha that Itachi was ordered by Konohagakure's leadership to destroy his clan. Saddened with the revelation, Sasuke joins forces with Akatsuki to destroy Konohagakure. Meanwhile, as several Akatsuki members are defeated by the Konohagakure ninja, the leader, Pain, invades the village to capture Naruto, for his mission of 'peace'. Naruto then releases 6-tails of the kyuubi when Pain stabs Hinata. Naruto then turns 8-tails when he feels the increable pain. As soon as he is about to release the seal on the kyuubi completely, the 4th hokage comes into Naruto's mind and stops him. Hearing words fom the 4th, Naruto surpresses the kyubbi himself and defeats Pain and heads to the real body.

Shugo Chara!

Summary

Amu Hinamori is the coolest girl in Seiyo Elementary. Her clothes are cool, her attitude's cool, and almost everyone admires her. Amu isn't really the "cool and spicy" girl her classmates take her for, however; inside, she's just a shy, nervous girl who has trouble showing her true personality. One night, Amu wishes strongly for the power to be herself, and the next morning, she finds a surprise in her bed: three brightly-colored eggs that hatch into Ran, Miki, and Su, little angel-like creatures called Shugo Charas that were born of Amu's wish to be herself. Each has different a talent and personality (though they are all supposed to be reflections of Amu's heart).

Things become even more complicated for Amu, however, when she is recruited into the Guardians, a club that acts as the school's student council led by Amu's crush, Tadase. It turns out that the Guardians have a mission far beyond organizing school events, however; each member of the Guardians is actually the owner of a Shugo Chara (though Amu is the first to have three), and their mission is the purification of X-Eggs (heart's eggs that have been transformed by negative energy and emotions) and finding the Embryo, a heart's egg that has the ability to grant wishes. The guardians are not without opposition, however; the Easter company will do anything to get their hands on the Embryo, even if that means transforming any number of heart's eggs into X-Eggs.

The Guardians give Amu an object called the Humpety Lock, which allows Amu to transform with the help of her Shugo Charas and battle X-Eggs; she can even purify them so that the dreams they carry are restored. Fighting against her is Tsukiyomi Ikuto, a high school student that Amu has a hard time thinking of as an enemy, and Hoshina Utau, a famous idol whose singing is manipulated by Easter to draw out X-Eggs.

There will be many obstacles along the way, including Amu's own feelings of uncertainty, but with a little help from Ran, Miki, and Su, Amu may just be able to find the Embryo and let her true self shine through.