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
No comments:
Post a Comment