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DVD:

Anime Review: NARUTO SHIPPUDEN - VOLUME 7

Naruto gets good again in the latest installment of this Anime series

Grade: B+
Release Date: March 9, 2010
SRP: $24.92

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By DANICA DAVIDSON, Contributing Writer
Published 3/10/2010

In case you haven’t heard of this big name in the anime and manga world, Naruto Uzumaki is a student ninja whose escapades have become popular in numerous countries.  NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, the sequel series to the simply-titled NARUTO, has been airing on XD Disney, a change after the original series aired on Cartoon Network. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN - VOLUME 7 gets back into the old spirit of the show with lots of action.

The original series earned quite a fanbase, until it suddenly hit a bump and began airing filler episodes.  There was really no point to them and it turned off many fans.  NARUTO finished and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN started up on a more promising note. It picks up some time after the last series ended, with the same characters facing the same dilemmas. They’re just slightly older now. 

The new series hasn’t had filler, though it’s been dragging some parts of the plot out. Like Naruto and his teacher Kakashi chasing the villain Deidara; Team Guy, made up of Naruto’s colleagues, fighting clones of themselves; and Naruto’s teammate Sakura battling the demonic puppet Sasori with the newly introduced character Lady Chiyo.  While these are all action-oriented things, they’ve gone on more episodes than need be.

However, things rev up in volume 7.  And things start coming to a head.  Confrontations are made. Battles are decided.

This is NARUTO when NARUTO works.  It’s full of nonstop action aided by emotional moments.  These emotional moments, when characters show sadness or weakness, keep it from being a mindless ninja story. It gives the series its heart.

There are four episodes on this DVD — episodes 27-30. The very first opens with one of the main characters possibly about to die, stabbed straight through the body. If that’s not an attention-grabber, I don’t know what is.  The second episode on the DVD isn’t quite as exciting and has characters continuing to fight with clones of themselves.  This time they figure out what to do and the clone segment gets resolved. Then things get more exciting again for the next two episodes as Naruto and Kakashi confront Deidara, who has the dead body of a companion in his clutches. And the nine-tailed fox inside Naruto decides to come loose. Things are interesting again.

These episodes haven’t aired on XD yet, but they will in the near future.  While NARUTO has had some iffy times in its past, things look as if they could be turning very bright again.  These episodes definitely have pull and it feels like watching the old NARUTO before the filler entered it.

2869-2889

Reader Comments

from sez....

3/11/2010 4:21:54 AM

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