Reflection and Analysis

Naruto - Matsuri (And by Extention Sari) 8/11/2020

Why do fans hate Matsuri from the Naruto series? Some speculate the issue comes down to the fact certain people want to pair Gaara up with someone else, but honestly, I think this is only part of the issue. I say this having been introduced to Matsuri in the actual Anime series before I was introduced to her Manga counterpart, but also having seen someone claim that the hate for her character comes from the fact people blame the filler for making people hate her as she suddenly became an option for Gaara, but not really.

The problem with this argument honestly comes down to the fact Matsuri as introduced in the filler is actually a likable character, but when one gets to the canon material her only dimensional trait is that she is a Gaara fangirl who Temari in canon finds herself getting between. It majorly bothered me that Temari found herself having to get between both Matsuri and Sari effectively attempt getting into the personal space of Gaara who is still recovering from his life and death experience.

There behavior in that moment was far from okay.

The point here I'm trying to make is the filler – at least the filler she's introduced into the Anime in – made me like Matsuri as a character. She was Gaara's precious student, but I'd thought she was some filler character created for the Anime – one I actually liked. Then, we see her in the part where she is actually introduced and there is no getting around the fact Gaara's fangirls as a whole just didn't feel okay, but then I'm also fully aware of Gaara not getting certain social cues and being oblivious to their behavior as not being healthy which is why Temari steps in like she does.

Then things get worse, with her appearing at points she didn't in the Manga because someone wanted to give her more time in the series.

Of course, there's the argument those of us who take issue with her character claim we're hypocrits because we're also fangirls/fanboys. The problem is, despite being a major Gaara fangirl – I'll admit it, I wouldn't go running up to him like Matsuri and Sari did, but instead give him and his family the space they needed. I wouldn't assume that I was that important. That my friends is the problem with both of these characters. It's why I can't ship either with Gaara.

In fact, it never, ever crosses the mind of those who call out the Matsuri hate that the reason for the hate is because in canon – and I don't mean the filler – she comes across as a stalker.

As for the hate she gets online as a character – while there is a lot of it, a good chunk of the so called hate is in the vein of parody/satire and delving into the fact she is in effect a fangirl who did not in canon respect Gaara's boundaries, which – if the so called hate is delving into a truth regarding the character it is not hate. It's someone voicing their opinion regarding something which bothered them.

This isn't to say some of these pictures cross the line. I mean, I wouldn't personally call Matsuri an idiot whose brainless like these pictures do, or a character who has for some reason no personal hygiene. That's not satire; that's not parody. That is character bashing and uncomfortable even to someone like myself who finds themselves bothered by Matsuri – and to an extension Sari's behavior.

Yeah, if you like the ship – either with Matsuri or Sari. Fine.

I can't ignore the canon and the canon – which is a stark difference from the filler she was introduced in – it bothers me and makes me uncomfortable. More importantly, in this particular case one can't argue that the "hate" is unwarranted, not when her in canon scenes in the Manga – and this extends to Sari – in effect present both as the type of fangirl people don't like dealing with. Her student arc – awesome, but not canon.