Shikamaru, the only ninja to be promoted to chunin has been chosen to lead a team of his comrades to recover Sasuke. He chooses the following; Choji, the largely picked on ninja from his group, Naruto, the crazy energetic kid recommended by the Hokage, Neji, the warrior who can see charka, and Kiba, accompanied by Akamaru his helpful dog. Together these five will work to use their strengths as efficiently as possible. However as things tend to work out in ways we can not foresee the group is slowly being picked off one by one. Amazingly as each member is pushed to the edge, mentally, physically and emotionally they use hidden resources and surprising endurance relying on the faith in their comrades to pull them through. It looks grim as we end the series unsure of the wellbeing of two comrades and concerned for those that remain as they engage in simultaneous battle against the sound village, Orochimaru’s minions.
PRESENTATION
This uncut box set includes a lot of nice features. Set up in a brochure format and three disk format the set looks very appealing. Keeping up with Shonen Jump material the show is at par for visual information, though when shinobi are involved that automatically makes allowances for some cool effects. Each fighter has an arsenal of special techniques which only grow as they continue to learn and fight stronger opponents. These include outlandish creatures such as the two headed dog or a curse mark that appears as a flame and sets in its pattern of black across the surface. These effects are entertaining and as demands force these children to grow at an ever increasing rate there’s always something new in each episode.
EXTRAS
Naruto has no shortage of these items as it’s a big hit around the globe and everyone wants their little mementos. The following features are included with this set;
· Collectible Naruto Storyboard booklet, episode 110
· Production Art
· From Sketch to Screen: Storyboard Comparison Ep.112
· Volume 10 Sneak Preview
· English Credits, dubs and subtitles
· Sticker for Shonen Jump Magazine poster
OVERALL
It’s really tough to make comparisons on this one. I have to admit I’m addicted to the series, it’s got whatever it is that VIZ uses to get kids hooked on a series and then even when we get to the filler episodes we can give it up. With such awesome hits as Death Note and Bleach out I have to say this falls into third place on that short list. The trouble with the show is that like dragon ball Z and other television series the show often does a flash back to a previous episode to clue you in. However when your involved in the same fight for several episodes it’s hard to forget what’s happening and it just becomes redundant and filler happy. While there is still a lot going on I would rather have a shorter series that was full of content than Naruto, which is just luring me along like the hungry anime fish that I am. Aware of the sly trick but still following none the less I have to say I’ve taken the bait on this one.