I started with the anime back when I orginally signed up here. I was caught up within a few weeks and around this time last year I started reading the manga when I became annoyed with the fillers. It didn't take long for me to catch up in the manga and I've been reading it regularly ever since. I think I enjoyed reading the manga better than watching these new episodes of Shippuuden...the animation quality is pretty weak and the constant flashbacks are irksome.