Reception
In the Weekly Shōnen Jump character popularity polls, Sakura has many times been placed in the top ten and reached the top five once; however, she was ranked twelfth in the most recent poll. In an interview, Kate Higgins, who does the voice acting for Sakura in the English dub, notes the development of Sakura in the series, remarking that she becomes a more complex character as she becomes more sensitive and caring. Numerous pieces of merchandise based on Sakura have been released, including a plush doll, key chains of her Part I and Part II appearances, and various character patches.
Several publications for manga, anime, video games, and other related media have provided praise and criticism on Sakura's character. IGN writer A.E. Sparrow commented that every anime and manga benefited from a strong female presence that Sakura provided for the Naruto series, although characterizing her as "stereotypically girly." In a review of episode 110 of the anime, IGN celebrated the culmination of the development of Sakura's character throughout the series, and the growing out of the "girly" personality. GameSpot noted that Sakura's character has largely been used in the series as a form of comic relief, as well as often stating the obvious. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews considered Sakura to be a stereotypical echo of similar love interests of protagonists in other shōnen manga, and that she was not likable. On the other hand, she was also regarded as "an interesting character to throw into the mix " by Mania Entertainment's Dani Moure due to how her differences with Sasuke and Naruto help to balance Team 7.
The character's change in Part II has been praised for being one of the most developed ones in the series by Anime News Network's Casey Brienza, as she has become stronger than her Part I counterpart which was considerably weaker than Naruto and Sasuke. This allows her to take a more active and appealing role in the series. Major praise has been given to her encounters with Sasori and Sasuke owing to her fighting skills and mature reactions, respectively. Sakura's love confession to Naruto in later parts has been commented to be one of the deepest ones parts from its story arc, for bringing confusion regarding whether or not she is serious as she intended to stop Naruto's suffering. It also came as a surprise as fans wondered what were Sakura's real intention regarding Sasuke who had become a dangerous criminal during such time of the series.
Read more about this topic: Sakura Haruno
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
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—Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)
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—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)