Anime Review: Basilisk: The Parting of Ways (Vol. 3)

As published on thenorthernlight.org

As the volume opens, the Iga have eight remaining ninja of the 10 from their clan who are listed on the scroll, while the Kouga only have five still alive. The scroll lists the top 10 ninja from each clan who are to battle until only one side remains. For the first two volumes, the Kouga were not even aware of this contest, as Iga Oboro and Kouga Gennosuke were about to get married. Once the Iga finally learn Gennosuke’s special power, they fear the only way they can beat him is through Oboro’s ability, which is the involuntary ability to cancel the power of anyone whom she makes eye contact with. Naturally, the would-be-lovers must part, even as they both hope for a peaceful solution, for them being together would be fatal.
“Basilisk” continues to be an emotional and suspenseful mature drama that just happens to be set with super-powered ninja. The show has no villains, per se, as each side in the ongoing clan struggle is in one moment sympathetic, and in the next, morally reprehensible. The show hasn’t taken a side, but shows the pointless conflict as destructive and futile.
The pace slows down in this volume, with the second episode offering a recap of the show so far with a little new information thrown in. The slightly slower pace allows more exploration into the consequences of the battles so far, especially now that Oboro and Gennosuke are trapped in the tragic feud as well. The voice acting is well done and the music adds to each scenes mood without being overwhelming. At the third volume, “Basilisk” shows no decline in the quality of its story or production. While any story about super ninjas can be overly melodramatic at times, “Basilisk” keeps the viewers engaged in the story and characters.
It’s always a good sign when the end of a volume leaves you anticipating the next one.

“Basilisk, Vol. 3 – The Parting of Ways”
4 stars (out of 5)
U.S. release: FUNimation
Animation: Gonzo
Genres: Romance, historical, action, drama
Release date: Nov. 14, 2006

Anime Review: Naruto - uncut box set 2

As published on thenorthernlight.org

Despite the uncut label, these box sets of “Naruto” are not scandalously different from the individual releases of the show. They do have a few differences – the original amount of blood shown during fights is restored and they include the Japanese language track – but the story is still that of hyperactive young Naruto and his fellow ninjas-in-training. No matter which language you chose to listen to, Naruto is still an annoying brat of a character, as he’s supposed to be. But the show finally starts to show a bit more depth as this set finishes up the conflict with Zabuza in the Land of Waves, revealing a more serious side with some of the recurring emotional themes of the show. Granted, it’s still for the younger set, but not too young, and there’s nothing childish about it. The second half of episodes in the box set starts the overriding Chunin Exam story arc, which will last another three or so volumes, these episodes merely laying most of the groundwork.
The slow pacing of the show makes box sets an ideal way to watch it; watching a two-hour continuous battle is preferable to watching it play out over six weeks on TV. On the other hand, the show uses a lot of flashbacks, so watching it in a marathon usually means sitting through a bunch of flashbacks that just happened.
“Naruto” may look like a simplistic fighting anime, and to some degree it is, albeit a rather fun one. But – especially once the other rookie ninjas get their stories fleshed out – it’s got a lot more to it than good vs. evil. It takes a lot of patience to watch this show, but by episode 19 (contained in this set) it will be apparent whether or not it’s worth it. That was the turning point for me back when it aired, and I’ll be picking up the next uncut volume for sure.

“Naruto,” uncut box set 2
4 stars (out of 5)
U.S. release: Viz Video
Genres: Adventure, comedy, shonen
Release date: Dec. 5, 2006

Video Game Review: Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles

As published on thenorthernlight.org

Unlike most “Naruto” video games, “Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles” plays more like an RPG than a fighting game. Instead of picking characters from the show to battle, players are put in the titular role of Naruto, and must perform certain missions and beat nameless enemies in random battles to gain Virtue Points. These points can then be used to purchase new items or upgrades of Naruto’s abilities, which are laid out on a variety of Skill Boards with limited room and different shapes. Different abilities fit together in different ways and it’s like a jigsaw puzzle that determines what powers Naruto will have. It’s an interesting system that forces players to choose how they want Naruto to grow, instead of a set skill path or simply being able to upgrade everything.
Sadly, the battles are lacking.
The generic enemies are too easy to beat, and the difficulty ramps up sharply when asked to fight tougher characters from the show. Even worse, the battles and missions take place on a map that Naruto travels around on – but only one location on the map is a save point. This means that if a player gets defeated anytime during a mission, even a multi-stage one, all progress up to that point is lost and the player will have to start all over again. This is especially frustrating when the cut scenes are not skipable, so defeated players will have to watch them again and again until they succeed.
There are good things about the game; the upgrade system is good, special moves are easy to pull off, mini games offer a change of pace and rewards, and guest characters can be used to tag-team when in a bind. For a single player, “Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles” offers much more depth than a standard fighting game, but a lot of little hiccups keep it from being what it could’ve been.

“Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles”
3 stars (out of 5)
U.S. release: Namco/Bandai
For PlayStation 2
Genres: Action, fighting, adventure
Release date: Nov. 15, 2006