Narration: There were mostly conversations but also a lot of characters talking to themselves at times. There was less narration though the same elements of conversation.
Balloons: They used BOLD TYPE to show emphasis and they were mostly shaped like circles. All of the balloons were shaped like ovals or circles and the words stayed the same throughout the book.
Captions: These were written without a bubble, and were random, but not frequent. These were written in square balloons and used to describe a scene.
Emanata: There were only a few and mostly when there was confusion or surprise. These were not present.
Labels/Signs: These were present at the top of each page telling you which way to read the book. I thought this was very helpful! These were not present.
Lettering: This used a normal font and was consistent throughout the book. This was consistently BOLD throughout the book, and I found this one easier to read.
Sound Effects: This was used to show when someone performed a "ninja" move or someone was struck or hurt or to portray a fast movement. This was shown in large bubble lettering and included a graphic to show specifically what the action was, I thought this was very effective.
I think that overall I enjoyed reading Pinocchio better, only because it was easier to look at and there wasn't as much confusion on each page, like there was in Naruto. I liked the big pages in Pinocchio that allowed me to see everything clearly and know what was going on.
Characters: The characters were drawn with a lot of detail and you can tell that they are humans and you can distinguish male from female and blonde from brunette. Everything was in black and white, there was not much detail and everything seemed "hollow" and always shadowed.
Objects: There were many different kinds of objects, especially during "training" time. There was no detail, it was always dark and all the objects were mostly in the background.
Icons: There were no apparent icons. Pinocchio's nose seemed to be the only icon.
Scenery: There was the classroom and outside surroundings. It seemed like it was always night and mysterious. It was set in a town or in a house and also in a graveyard.
Depicted Action (internal/external): There was a lot of movement and action throughout the entire book. The internal action is shown through the dialogue. There was movement and struggles were shown. The internal action in shown through the dialogue as well.
I again would have to say that I visually prefer Pinocchio because even though everything seems dark and shadowy, it is all the more emphasized. When I read Naruto, it seemed like a big scattered mess.
General Layout and Design
Borders: These are thin and black and consistent throughout. These are the same.
Gutters: These are thin and white. There are wide and white.
Panels: There were a lot on each page. Many on a page but not as much as Naruto.
Open Panels: These were mostly separate and on it's own page. There were a few during dramatic or action scenes.
Splash: This appeared randomly to show a big action. The was mostly in the beginning and end to show more emphasis of a scene or character.
For general layout and design I still like Pinocchio because it's more appealing to the eye and easier to read. There is little confusion, where I found myself often confused when reading Naruto.
Bleed: Appears rarely. Appears a few times.
Close-up: Only a new major close-ups. This doesn't happen much, only a couple times to show emotion.
Head-shot: There are a few of these on every other page. This is also mostly to show emotion.
Head-shoulder shot: This is the majority of the shots. This is also the majority of the shots.
Full-figure shot: There is at least one of these in every turn. There are not very many, mostly for major motion.
Long shot: There are a couple per page. It was rare, but used to show character interaction.
Extreme shot: Only a couple and to show the town. This was to show the scene, but it was rare.
Reverse: Not present. Not present.
I think that Naruto was definitely more diverse with the number and variety of shots, but that was also part of what made it so confusing to read. I liked that Pinocchio was simple to look at and I was able to turn the pages quickly.
Rhetorical Techniques Applied in Text, Visuals and Design
Juxtaposition: Characters and powers. Humans vs. Vampires.
Exaggeration: This was very exaggerated in characters and action. Other than vampires and a wooden boy, this was pretty normal.
Empathy/Identification: I didn't connect with the characters. I felt familiar, but did not connect with the characters.
Mood/Tone: This was silly and chaotic. This was creepy and dark.
Simplicity/Complexity: This was really complex and hard to follow. This was simple and straight forward.
Irony/Satire: I think there is a little irony, because he finds out his true identity. There is irony because the father turns out to be the "bad guy."
Realism/Icons/Symbols: I didn't recognize any. I think Pinocchio's nose and the idea of a "real boy" apply here.
Order/Disorder: There was a lot of disorder and always something going wrong. There was conflict, but structure.
Relationships: I recognized girl vs. boy, boy vs. community, boy vs. self, boy vs. past, boy vs. authority. I recognized father/son, community vs. protagonist, enemy vs. protagonist. In both of these there was identification, opposition, conflict and power.
P.O.V.: child, outsider, orphan, and "dunce"/ outcast. child, outsider, detached.
The story lines were similar because there was a conflict for power and a struggle to achieve it. I think that Pinocchio represented a "hero" in the story, but Naruto represents more of a "work in progress" who might someday be the hero. The whole time I read Naruto I couldn't get away from the thought that it reminded me of Dragon Ball Z and I was throughly annoyed. I enjoyed Pinocchio because it was interesting and a new twist to the classic story. I thought the relationships in Pinocchio seemed more concrete than those in Naruto. I would say that overall I really liked Pinocchio and I would choose not to read anymore Naruto novels.
