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Naruto Shippuden the Movie
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Top positive review
31 people found this helpful
5.0 out of 5 starsFACTS
ByAmazon Customeron November 7, 2009
First off ignore the reviews from peeps who read a product listing with no clue of the actual product. The dvd comes with English dub and japanese audio, along with subs. If you read between the lines the product description does say dubbed. I am sure Amazon will fix the error in the audio part when enough of you complain. As far as the dvd what can I say its Naruto, so it totally rocks. I like English dub, my daughter likes to watch the Japanese with subs so we are both happy with this release. And yes I gotta love the fact we get new release's early due to family that work in the right places, so enjoy this one when the rest of you get the chance. It totally ROCKS!
Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsMore of the Same
ByRobert M.on April 22, 2015
I know it’s been out for a while, but lo and behold, I have done at least some catching up with the Naruto anime lately (and the end of the manga, or at least the end for now). And now that the newer set of movies from the latter half of the series, Naruto Shippuden, are available for streaming, I was finally able to take a look at the first movie of the new series, simply titled Naruto Shippuden: The Movie. After seeing this movie, I don’t think I missed much. In fact, this movie was so full of its own tropes, I may as well have already watched it before.
This is, of course, not to say that the movie is terrible or even bad. It’s quite adequate, actually. The animation, as with all of the movies with their much higher production budget, is absolutely beautiful and fluid, far more so than the typical episode of the anime. The voice acting (I watched the dub because that’s what I prefer) is just fine, and no better or worse than the show. Each of the voices fit the characters well and the actors do just as well. So there are no real problems with the acting, animation, or overall production of this anime film; they’re all just fine. The problems with this film all stem from its clichéd narrative. The plot and new characters take absolutely no risks or deviation from standard action anime films in this genre. In fact, in many respects, these Naruto films have formed tropes unique unto themselves.
The film starts off with a false shocker ending, in-media-res. I could instantly tell it’s a red herring because of the title, so I wasn’t really fazed by it. We are then quickly introduced to our tragic, tsundere, damsel-in-distress heroine for the evening, the priestess Shion. Immediately noticeable is that her character design, if not characterization, is strikingly similar to Hinata Hyuga’s in Shippuden. It’s so obvious and jarring, it’s actually kind of odd that none of the other characters mention it, not even Neji. She’s voiced in the dub by veteran Laura Bailey, who does quite well as portraying her snobbishness as well as her sadness and compassion. She’s not too terribly complex however, as her backstory of fate and sacrifice and all that jazz has not only been done a million times in anime and fiction in the past, but also in just this series. In fact, much of her attitude and eventual character arc strongly echoes that of the heroine from the first Naruto movie, Yukie Fujikaze from Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. She just seems to be a conglomeration of previous characters and arcs, with not much else to her as a character. Unfortunately, much of the rest of this film plays out in the same fashion.
The plot is so standard, it practically can be called note by note. Shion is the only daughter of the former priestess, and is the only person who can seal the ancient evil known as Sauron Moryo, whom was defeated by her mother at the cost of her own life. A group of evil ninja whose names are inconsequential as they’re just there as cannon fodder for the heroes to curb stomp in the third act revive the spirit of Moryo and his unstoppable army of mindless Orcs Terracotta Warriors. They plan to use Moryo’s power to take over the world. Naruto and his team are assigned to escort Shion to the Land of Mordor Swamps where she can seal Moryo’s body forever. Yukie Shion is at first a spoiled brat and a firm believer in predetermined fate like Neji, and is content to be sacrificed for the good of her people. Naruto eventually wins her over with his ninja way and unflinching determination, and she falls for him. He eventually destroys the evil Moryo, who it turns out is some kind of eternal Cthulu demon without a clear origin, with his Rasengan combined with the special flavor of the day chakra from Shion, and the movie just kind of stops as the credits roll. An after credits scene once again showcases Naruto’s stupidity and naiveté, and we’re done.
As you can see, this film hits not only tons of action and anime clichés, but also tons of tropes from just the Naruto anime and the other theatrical films. The plot flows in such a familiar and predictable fashion, that your predictions for what will happen next will be better than Shion’s. Yes, the story and characters are overused to the point of tiredness, except when it ups the weirdness factor to eleven and comes right the heck out of nowhere. Shion’s ability to predict the future isn’t really explained very well, nor do we come to fully understand its rules or origins. Moryo himself is an enigma, as we don’t where he/it came from or why it wants to destroy the world; he’s just evil I guess. His minions that awaken him are similarly given no backstory or reason for their actions, so they’re just evil bad guys too. Heck, I can’t even remotely remember their names, if they even had any. At some point, there is what I surmise is some sort of Transformation Jutsu that’s permanent, used by one of Shion’s male vassals to impersonate her, which makes it kind of a magic sex-change-no-jutsu. You explain that one. It’s just odd that that’s a thing in this world. The climax with Moryo is ridiculously confusing. Something about Shion sacrificing herself, possibly going back in time to undo Naruto’s death, or something. It all goes by so fast and without enough explanation to make sense of it; in the end, I’m not really sure what happened. Also, Naruto himself seems a touch more annoying that usual, and not in a well-done manner. And one of the voice actors is Wil Wheaton. Yes, THAT Wil Wheaton. He’s not bad, but that’s downright bizarre.
In the end, it’s not outright terrible, but it is overly predictable. The new characters are reused cutouts, and the established characters are underutilized and fail to compensate. Shion is interesting enough of a character that I wish I could see more of her in future projects in the series, which of course won’t happen because she’s one-note filler fodder. Honestly, I wouldn’t say this film is a necessary watch for this series; nothing is lost to the mythos by skipping it. Of course, if you are a fan of the show/manga and know what to expect, it’s a decent way to kill and hour and a half.
This is, of course, not to say that the movie is terrible or even bad. It’s quite adequate, actually. The animation, as with all of the movies with their much higher production budget, is absolutely beautiful and fluid, far more so than the typical episode of the anime. The voice acting (I watched the dub because that’s what I prefer) is just fine, and no better or worse than the show. Each of the voices fit the characters well and the actors do just as well. So there are no real problems with the acting, animation, or overall production of this anime film; they’re all just fine. The problems with this film all stem from its clichéd narrative. The plot and new characters take absolutely no risks or deviation from standard action anime films in this genre. In fact, in many respects, these Naruto films have formed tropes unique unto themselves.
The film starts off with a false shocker ending, in-media-res. I could instantly tell it’s a red herring because of the title, so I wasn’t really fazed by it. We are then quickly introduced to our tragic, tsundere, damsel-in-distress heroine for the evening, the priestess Shion. Immediately noticeable is that her character design, if not characterization, is strikingly similar to Hinata Hyuga’s in Shippuden. It’s so obvious and jarring, it’s actually kind of odd that none of the other characters mention it, not even Neji. She’s voiced in the dub by veteran Laura Bailey, who does quite well as portraying her snobbishness as well as her sadness and compassion. She’s not too terribly complex however, as her backstory of fate and sacrifice and all that jazz has not only been done a million times in anime and fiction in the past, but also in just this series. In fact, much of her attitude and eventual character arc strongly echoes that of the heroine from the first Naruto movie, Yukie Fujikaze from Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. She just seems to be a conglomeration of previous characters and arcs, with not much else to her as a character. Unfortunately, much of the rest of this film plays out in the same fashion.
The plot is so standard, it practically can be called note by note. Shion is the only daughter of the former priestess, and is the only person who can seal the ancient evil known as Sauron Moryo, whom was defeated by her mother at the cost of her own life. A group of evil ninja whose names are inconsequential as they’re just there as cannon fodder for the heroes to curb stomp in the third act revive the spirit of Moryo and his unstoppable army of mindless Orcs Terracotta Warriors. They plan to use Moryo’s power to take over the world. Naruto and his team are assigned to escort Shion to the Land of Mordor Swamps where she can seal Moryo’s body forever. Yukie Shion is at first a spoiled brat and a firm believer in predetermined fate like Neji, and is content to be sacrificed for the good of her people. Naruto eventually wins her over with his ninja way and unflinching determination, and she falls for him. He eventually destroys the evil Moryo, who it turns out is some kind of eternal Cthulu demon without a clear origin, with his Rasengan combined with the special flavor of the day chakra from Shion, and the movie just kind of stops as the credits roll. An after credits scene once again showcases Naruto’s stupidity and naiveté, and we’re done.
As you can see, this film hits not only tons of action and anime clichés, but also tons of tropes from just the Naruto anime and the other theatrical films. The plot flows in such a familiar and predictable fashion, that your predictions for what will happen next will be better than Shion’s. Yes, the story and characters are overused to the point of tiredness, except when it ups the weirdness factor to eleven and comes right the heck out of nowhere. Shion’s ability to predict the future isn’t really explained very well, nor do we come to fully understand its rules or origins. Moryo himself is an enigma, as we don’t where he/it came from or why it wants to destroy the world; he’s just evil I guess. His minions that awaken him are similarly given no backstory or reason for their actions, so they’re just evil bad guys too. Heck, I can’t even remotely remember their names, if they even had any. At some point, there is what I surmise is some sort of Transformation Jutsu that’s permanent, used by one of Shion’s male vassals to impersonate her, which makes it kind of a magic sex-change-no-jutsu. You explain that one. It’s just odd that that’s a thing in this world. The climax with Moryo is ridiculously confusing. Something about Shion sacrificing herself, possibly going back in time to undo Naruto’s death, or something. It all goes by so fast and without enough explanation to make sense of it; in the end, I’m not really sure what happened. Also, Naruto himself seems a touch more annoying that usual, and not in a well-done manner. And one of the voice actors is Wil Wheaton. Yes, THAT Wil Wheaton. He’s not bad, but that’s downright bizarre.
In the end, it’s not outright terrible, but it is overly predictable. The new characters are reused cutouts, and the established characters are underutilized and fail to compensate. Shion is interesting enough of a character that I wish I could see more of her in future projects in the series, which of course won’t happen because she’s one-note filler fodder. Honestly, I wouldn’t say this film is a necessary watch for this series; nothing is lost to the mythos by skipping it. Of course, if you are a fan of the show/manga and know what to expect, it’s a decent way to kill and hour and a half.
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ByAmazon Customeron November 7, 2009
First off ignore the reviews from peeps who read a product listing with no clue of the actual product. The dvd comes with English dub and japanese audio, along with subs. If you read between the lines the product description does say dubbed. I am sure Amazon will fix the error in the audio part when enough of you complain. As far as the dvd what can I say its Naruto, so it totally rocks. I like English dub, my daughter likes to watch the Japanese with subs so we are both happy with this release. And yes I gotta love the fact we get new release's early due to family that work in the right places, so enjoy this one when the rest of you get the chance. It totally ROCKS!
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Bygeminion August 11, 2009
Naruto Shippuden is a little different from the early Naruto years. But it is high octane adrenaline! Gaara totally steals the show. The action and story line arc takes up to 30 episodes before Sai comes into the picture. The only dissappointment I feel is in Viz Media, why are they bothering to release Shippuden 1 disc (4 episodes) at a time? They should go directly to box sets! And by box sets I mean, they should carry at least 20 episodes or more per set. Shipuden season 1 is like 50 or more episodes, each season is huge! Viz Media, why must you milk us of our hard earned money and give us so little in return?! Anyone who buys this disc or the next disc in this series, I suggest you hold off watching them until you have them all up to disc 10 in hand, these episodes catch you and never let you go, you will writhe in agony until the next release!
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ByRich(アニメとゲームが優先!!)on July 6, 2009
Finally the great Naruto Uzumaki has returned from his three year training with the toad sage and the new quests will commence, a little off topic while I have enjoyed the anime series including the filler episodes the recent Naruto manga chapters have really started to make me dislike the way the writers and creator are doing the series so much that if it continues I have a feeling that they may loose many fans, I know I'm at the line at this point of giving up on the manga series right now. That out of the way the first episodes are a true joy as you'll see Naruto reuniting with not only Tsunade, Iruka, and his sensei Kakashi but will also see how the rest of the Konoha 11 have turned out after three years away. The episodes will also show us what has been happening with the mysterious group Akatsuki and what they have been doing these last few years as well with their unknown agenda of capturing the containers of the tailed demon beasts. So if your not a fan of the filler episodes or just looking for a action anime here's a pretty good pick for your collection...
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Naruto Shippuden Vol 1 is the first English Voiced release of the 2nd part to the famed Naruto series. This DVD contains the first 4 episodes of the series.
1: Homecoming (scenes from Manga Vol 34 (Chapters 306 and 207), Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 245)
2: The Akatsuki Makes Its Move (scenes from Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 246, 247)
3: The Results of Training (Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 246, 247)
4: The Jinchuriki of the Sand (Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 248,249)
I find that this set is a great opening and completely worth paying for to get these episodes on DVD. Shippuden seems to accelerate things quickly with multiple storylines possible, such as the invasion and capture of Gaara, the search for Sasuke still continues in the background, and the Akatsuki storyline and characters. Seeing several scenes from the manga come to life in motion is excellent and the voice actors they chose for the akatsuki are great. All of the other actors from the first part of Naruto still continue to keep their voices as well. The only actual difference seems to lie in the background music. It seems to be a bit more mature and serious.
As a DVD, I find that it is a nice offering. The cover design is stylish (I use it for the background to my iPod Touch), the DVD design is great too, and the case is quite sturdy. I like owning the actual DVD's so I made sure to catch this set of episodes instead of waiting for a TV release.
The bonuses on the DVD include trailers for Naruto Shippuden, Naruto Shippuden: The Movie, Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion, and Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Council 4. The DVD also has both English and Japanese vocals and finally subtitles. Lastly there is a section for "New from VIZ" which like all their other offerings includes a general preview of their other anime.
Also this DVD set is original and uncut so it has both a Japanese opening and an ending.
Ultimately, fans and newcomers to the Naruto revolution should pick this one up to get the first four Shippuden episodes (with four more coming at the end of October).
1: Homecoming (scenes from Manga Vol 34 (Chapters 306 and 207), Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 245)
2: The Akatsuki Makes Its Move (scenes from Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 246, 247)
3: The Results of Training (Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 246, 247)
4: The Jinchuriki of the Sand (Manga Vol 28 (Chapters 248,249)
I find that this set is a great opening and completely worth paying for to get these episodes on DVD. Shippuden seems to accelerate things quickly with multiple storylines possible, such as the invasion and capture of Gaara, the search for Sasuke still continues in the background, and the Akatsuki storyline and characters. Seeing several scenes from the manga come to life in motion is excellent and the voice actors they chose for the akatsuki are great. All of the other actors from the first part of Naruto still continue to keep their voices as well. The only actual difference seems to lie in the background music. It seems to be a bit more mature and serious.
As a DVD, I find that it is a nice offering. The cover design is stylish (I use it for the background to my iPod Touch), the DVD design is great too, and the case is quite sturdy. I like owning the actual DVD's so I made sure to catch this set of episodes instead of waiting for a TV release.
The bonuses on the DVD include trailers for Naruto Shippuden, Naruto Shippuden: The Movie, Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion, and Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Council 4. The DVD also has both English and Japanese vocals and finally subtitles. Lastly there is a section for "New from VIZ" which like all their other offerings includes a general preview of their other anime.
Also this DVD set is original and uncut so it has both a Japanese opening and an ending.
Ultimately, fans and newcomers to the Naruto revolution should pick this one up to get the first four Shippuden episodes (with four more coming at the end of October).
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ByGriz325on December 28, 2008
After training with Master Jiraiya for two and a half years, learning to defend himself from those who would harm him for the powers of the Nine Tailed Fox within him, Naruto returns to the Leaf village. Still a Genin while his friends Sakura, Rock Lee and Neji have gone on missions and trained to advance in rank, Naruto joins the new Team Kakashi led by Jonin Neji. Assigned to a mission to protect a priestess from the Land of Demons, the team escorts her to the Land of Swamps where she must perform the binding ritual to bind an escaped demon to prevent him from conquering the five nations and ruling for a thousand years. Fans of the anime series will enjoy Naruto's hijinks, humor and strong determination to succeed. The action and challenges to the team make this an entertaining addition to the Naruto story. The prediction of Naruto's death, with funeral scenes, keeps you on the edge of your seat as the movie unfolds. My whole family enjoyed this movie as a fine tale from the Naruto universe. A caveat for some is the movie is in Japanese with english subtitles. Movie-Naruto Shippuden
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ByDolores Alvarezon April 2, 2010
I recently bought Naruto Shippuden- The Movie for my kids and they loved it! There was plenty of action for them and a couple funny moments plus at the end some of their favorite characters show up to help Naruto. You have to watch this movie if you're a big naruto fan. It's about naruto helping this girl {i forgot her name} but she recently had a vision if Naruto was going to live... or die during their mission.
Features Naruto, Sakura, Neji, Lee and the priestess. To know what happens in this adventure or what happens to naruto you have to watch the movie. YOU WILL ENJOY!
Features Naruto, Sakura, Neji, Lee and the priestess. To know what happens in this adventure or what happens to naruto you have to watch the movie. YOU WILL ENJOY!
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BySon of Detroiton October 17, 2009
I agree with most of the reviews, Naruto is king of the cliff-hanger, we've watched some of these with english subtitles(since cartoon network has stopped showing them and we couldn't wait for these releases). Special note: Naruto IS grown-up this is NOT the beat-them-up and they walk away! There's a lot of the cutesy stuff in these episodes, but it's not all sunshine and lollipops! It's a lot more violent then the 1st series and deals with more mature themes. Hold on to your headband! People will die and secrets will be revealed!
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A Kid's Reviewon June 24, 2009
I think that "NARUTO SHIPPUDEN" si the greatest ever; I was never really a big fan until one night I sat with my hubby and was watching and something in one of the episodes (regular naruto episodes) caught my attention; and since then I have being a big fan of them. My hubby is trying to collect all of them including the shippuden collection. I can't wait to add to the collection we already have! Go Naruto!
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ByRobert M.on April 22, 2015
I know it’s been out for a while, but lo and behold, I have done at least some catching up with the Naruto anime lately (and the end of the manga, or at least the end for now). And now that the newer set of movies from the latter half of the series, Naruto Shippuden, are available for streaming, I was finally able to take a look at the first movie of the new series, simply titled Naruto Shippuden: The Movie. After seeing this movie, I don’t think I missed much. In fact, this movie was so full of its own tropes, I may as well have already watched it before.
This is, of course, not to say that the movie is terrible or even bad. It’s quite adequate, actually. The animation, as with all of the movies with their much higher production budget, is absolutely beautiful and fluid, far more so than the typical episode of the anime. The voice acting (I watched the dub because that’s what I prefer) is just fine, and no better or worse than the show. Each of the voices fit the characters well and the actors do just as well. So there are no real problems with the acting, animation, or overall production of this anime film; they’re all just fine. The problems with this film all stem from its clichéd narrative. The plot and new characters take absolutely no risks or deviation from standard action anime films in this genre. In fact, in many respects, these Naruto films have formed tropes unique unto themselves.
The film starts off with a false shocker ending, in-media-res. I could instantly tell it’s a red herring because of the title, so I wasn’t really fazed by it. We are then quickly introduced to our tragic, tsundere, damsel-in-distress heroine for the evening, the priestess Shion. Immediately noticeable is that her character design, if not characterization, is strikingly similar to Hinata Hyuga’s in Shippuden. It’s so obvious and jarring, it’s actually kind of odd that none of the other characters mention it, not even Neji. She’s voiced in the dub by veteran Laura Bailey, who does quite well as portraying her snobbishness as well as her sadness and compassion. She’s not too terribly complex however, as her backstory of fate and sacrifice and all that jazz has not only been done a million times in anime and fiction in the past, but also in just this series. In fact, much of her attitude and eventual character arc strongly echoes that of the heroine from the first Naruto movie, Yukie Fujikaze from Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. She just seems to be a conglomeration of previous characters and arcs, with not much else to her as a character. Unfortunately, much of the rest of this film plays out in the same fashion.
The plot is so standard, it practically can be called note by note. Shion is the only daughter of the former priestess, and is the only person who can seal the ancient evil known as Sauron Moryo, whom was defeated by her mother at the cost of her own life. A group of evil ninja whose names are inconsequential as they’re just there as cannon fodder for the heroes to curb stomp in the third act revive the spirit of Moryo and his unstoppable army of mindless Orcs Terracotta Warriors. They plan to use Moryo’s power to take over the world. Naruto and his team are assigned to escort Shion to the Land of Mordor Swamps where she can seal Moryo’s body forever. Yukie Shion is at first a spoiled brat and a firm believer in predetermined fate like Neji, and is content to be sacrificed for the good of her people. Naruto eventually wins her over with his ninja way and unflinching determination, and she falls for him. He eventually destroys the evil Moryo, who it turns out is some kind of eternal Cthulu demon without a clear origin, with his Rasengan combined with the special flavor of the day chakra from Shion, and the movie just kind of stops as the credits roll. An after credits scene once again showcases Naruto’s stupidity and naiveté, and we’re done.
As you can see, this film hits not only tons of action and anime clichés, but also tons of tropes from just the Naruto anime and the other theatrical films. The plot flows in such a familiar and predictable fashion, that your predictions for what will happen next will be better than Shion’s. Yes, the story and characters are overused to the point of tiredness, except when it ups the weirdness factor to eleven and comes right the heck out of nowhere. Shion’s ability to predict the future isn’t really explained very well, nor do we come to fully understand its rules or origins. Moryo himself is an enigma, as we don’t where he/it came from or why it wants to destroy the world; he’s just evil I guess. His minions that awaken him are similarly given no backstory or reason for their actions, so they’re just evil bad guys too. Heck, I can’t even remotely remember their names, if they even had any. At some point, there is what I surmise is some sort of Transformation Jutsu that’s permanent, used by one of Shion’s male vassals to impersonate her, which makes it kind of a magic sex-change-no-jutsu. You explain that one. It’s just odd that that’s a thing in this world. The climax with Moryo is ridiculously confusing. Something about Shion sacrificing herself, possibly going back in time to undo Naruto’s death, or something. It all goes by so fast and without enough explanation to make sense of it; in the end, I’m not really sure what happened. Also, Naruto himself seems a touch more annoying that usual, and not in a well-done manner. And one of the voice actors is Wil Wheaton. Yes, THAT Wil Wheaton. He’s not bad, but that’s downright bizarre.
In the end, it’s not outright terrible, but it is overly predictable. The new characters are reused cutouts, and the established characters are underutilized and fail to compensate. Shion is interesting enough of a character that I wish I could see more of her in future projects in the series, which of course won’t happen because she’s one-note filler fodder. Honestly, I wouldn’t say this film is a necessary watch for this series; nothing is lost to the mythos by skipping it. Of course, if you are a fan of the show/manga and know what to expect, it’s a decent way to kill and hour and a half.
This is, of course, not to say that the movie is terrible or even bad. It’s quite adequate, actually. The animation, as with all of the movies with their much higher production budget, is absolutely beautiful and fluid, far more so than the typical episode of the anime. The voice acting (I watched the dub because that’s what I prefer) is just fine, and no better or worse than the show. Each of the voices fit the characters well and the actors do just as well. So there are no real problems with the acting, animation, or overall production of this anime film; they’re all just fine. The problems with this film all stem from its clichéd narrative. The plot and new characters take absolutely no risks or deviation from standard action anime films in this genre. In fact, in many respects, these Naruto films have formed tropes unique unto themselves.
The film starts off with a false shocker ending, in-media-res. I could instantly tell it’s a red herring because of the title, so I wasn’t really fazed by it. We are then quickly introduced to our tragic, tsundere, damsel-in-distress heroine for the evening, the priestess Shion. Immediately noticeable is that her character design, if not characterization, is strikingly similar to Hinata Hyuga’s in Shippuden. It’s so obvious and jarring, it’s actually kind of odd that none of the other characters mention it, not even Neji. She’s voiced in the dub by veteran Laura Bailey, who does quite well as portraying her snobbishness as well as her sadness and compassion. She’s not too terribly complex however, as her backstory of fate and sacrifice and all that jazz has not only been done a million times in anime and fiction in the past, but also in just this series. In fact, much of her attitude and eventual character arc strongly echoes that of the heroine from the first Naruto movie, Yukie Fujikaze from Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. She just seems to be a conglomeration of previous characters and arcs, with not much else to her as a character. Unfortunately, much of the rest of this film plays out in the same fashion.
The plot is so standard, it practically can be called note by note. Shion is the only daughter of the former priestess, and is the only person who can seal the ancient evil known as Sauron Moryo, whom was defeated by her mother at the cost of her own life. A group of evil ninja whose names are inconsequential as they’re just there as cannon fodder for the heroes to curb stomp in the third act revive the spirit of Moryo and his unstoppable army of mindless Orcs Terracotta Warriors. They plan to use Moryo’s power to take over the world. Naruto and his team are assigned to escort Shion to the Land of Mordor Swamps where she can seal Moryo’s body forever. Yukie Shion is at first a spoiled brat and a firm believer in predetermined fate like Neji, and is content to be sacrificed for the good of her people. Naruto eventually wins her over with his ninja way and unflinching determination, and she falls for him. He eventually destroys the evil Moryo, who it turns out is some kind of eternal Cthulu demon without a clear origin, with his Rasengan combined with the special flavor of the day chakra from Shion, and the movie just kind of stops as the credits roll. An after credits scene once again showcases Naruto’s stupidity and naiveté, and we’re done.
As you can see, this film hits not only tons of action and anime clichés, but also tons of tropes from just the Naruto anime and the other theatrical films. The plot flows in such a familiar and predictable fashion, that your predictions for what will happen next will be better than Shion’s. Yes, the story and characters are overused to the point of tiredness, except when it ups the weirdness factor to eleven and comes right the heck out of nowhere. Shion’s ability to predict the future isn’t really explained very well, nor do we come to fully understand its rules or origins. Moryo himself is an enigma, as we don’t where he/it came from or why it wants to destroy the world; he’s just evil I guess. His minions that awaken him are similarly given no backstory or reason for their actions, so they’re just evil bad guys too. Heck, I can’t even remotely remember their names, if they even had any. At some point, there is what I surmise is some sort of Transformation Jutsu that’s permanent, used by one of Shion’s male vassals to impersonate her, which makes it kind of a magic sex-change-no-jutsu. You explain that one. It’s just odd that that’s a thing in this world. The climax with Moryo is ridiculously confusing. Something about Shion sacrificing herself, possibly going back in time to undo Naruto’s death, or something. It all goes by so fast and without enough explanation to make sense of it; in the end, I’m not really sure what happened. Also, Naruto himself seems a touch more annoying that usual, and not in a well-done manner. And one of the voice actors is Wil Wheaton. Yes, THAT Wil Wheaton. He’s not bad, but that’s downright bizarre.
In the end, it’s not outright terrible, but it is overly predictable. The new characters are reused cutouts, and the established characters are underutilized and fail to compensate. Shion is interesting enough of a character that I wish I could see more of her in future projects in the series, which of course won’t happen because she’s one-note filler fodder. Honestly, I wouldn’t say this film is a necessary watch for this series; nothing is lost to the mythos by skipping it. Of course, if you are a fan of the show/manga and know what to expect, it’s a decent way to kill and hour and a half.
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Since 1999, "Naruto" created by Masashi Kishimoto ("Karakuri") has been one of the most popular anime and manga series in Japan and has easily become a favorite best selling anime/manga series among fans all over the world.
For the anime series, since 2002, "Naruto" lasted until 2007 with a total of 220 episodes. The series would follow the adventures of a boy named Naruto Uzamaki, who may not be the brightest ninja from the Konoha Village but he makes it up with heart and also tremendous power as the killer beast known as the nine-tailed fox has been sealed within him.
Earlier in the series, the anime series focused on Naruto and his team members Sasuke Uchida and Sakura Haruno as they would go on adventures and learn to become a team and also honing their ninja abilities. The series would then begin to introduce other young ninjas from the village who Naruto would be paired up with and the young ninjas would take on rival clans to helping people in need. But somehow as the series continued, Sasuke Uchida would then go off on his own personal mission to stop his brother Itaki Uchida, who murdered the whole Uchida clan and his family, only leaving Sasuke alive.
Within those six years, we have seen Naruto and his friends grow as friends and also in their abilities. For Naruto, all he has wanted is to become the next Hokage (the leader of the village) when he grows older and to help his friends accomplish missions. He knows that to be a good leader, he will need to get stronger so he can protect the village once he grows older. Of course, there is so much involved in the "Naruto" anime series and what makes its special is its humor, its action but also how well the series integrates so many characters but yet features a good number of character driven episodes that makes the viewer appreciate many of the characters in the series.
"Naruto", the first series ended with the young ninja leaving to train with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years.
Here we are now with "Naruto Shippuden" (Naruto: Hurrican Chronicles), a sequel to the "Naruto" series which began a month after the first series ended in Feb. 2007 and as of Feb. 25, 2010, "Naruto Shippuden" aired its 149th episode in Japan. The series has been streaming through [...] a week after its airing in Japan with English subtitles but for fans who have wanted the English dub, the series began airing on Disney's XD channel. The series has been released in individual volumes (with a total of four episodes) courtesy of Shonen Jump Home Video ala Viz Media and also as complete season box sets.
In the sequel, Naruto arrives after his training and now he's a little older, taller but still is the same naive and energetic kid that he was when he left. Many things have changed since Naruto has left. Sasuke is still gone. Sakura has been training under current Hokage Lady Tsunade, while in the sand village, Gaara has succeeded his father as Sunagakure's Kazekage (the leader of the village).
This time the threat to the ninja clans are the Akatsuki, a criminal organization which includes powerful ninjas who defected from their villages and a group which include Sasuke's brother Itachi. At this current time, not much is known of what the Akatsuki are planning but the ninja clans are all under alert trying to figure out what their next move will be.
Here is a brief spoilerless summary of the first four episodes.
EPISODE 1 - Homecoming - Naruto arrives after his two and half year training with Jiraiya and learns of how things have changed a bit in the village.
EPISODE 2 - The Akatsuki Makes Its Move - The criminal organization Akatsuki makes its move against the Sand Ninja. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura must go against their sensei Kakashi in redoing one of their earlier test trials.
EPISODE 3 - The Results of Training - Kakashi learns how far Sakura and Naruto have become. Meanwhile, a traitor is revealed from the Sand Village.
EPISODE 4 - The Jinchuriki of the Sand - The conclusion to Naruto and Sakura's test. Meanwhile, Gaara takes on Akatsuki's Deidara.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
One thing I noticed when it came to "Naruto" is that the series has had its share of well-animated and well-painted artistic backgrounds but then for some of the filler episodes, has had a decrease in quality. Fortunately, "Naruto Shippuden" looks very solid. I really like how the characters look much older and the emotions on the character's faces to the action that takes place in the Leaf and Sand Village is pretty cool. For the most part, with the four episodes that I've watched, Studio Pierrot has done a pretty solid job with "Naruto Shippuden".
As for the audio, audio is pretty much Stereo Bilingual (Japanese and English). Similar to a series like "Dragon Ball Z", with "Naruto", I have always enjoyed the voice acting of the English dub series. It's well done and the voices fit the characters very well. But I have watched the series in Japanese and English and for the most part, voice acting for both soundtracks are well-done. Since the series is front channel driven, for those with a modern home theater receiver probably will enjoy a more immersive soundscape by selecting stereo on all channels.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Naruto Shippuden" doesn't come with any special features but trailers.
JUDGMENT CALL:
What a wonderful start for "Naruto Shippuden". So, many fans who have been watching the anime series since its release back in 2002 have grown with this series and watched every episode continuously for so many years and now, here we are with the sequel that is full of action and for the most part, seeing how these characters progressed as a ninja and also have grown older in terms of the way they look. As usual, there is a lot of action but there is a lot of humor in the series and to see him and Sakura together especially taking on Kakashi-sensei was so hilarious.
These uncut episodes do include the commercial bumpers in the beginning and end and also includes the short animated sequence which features the characters in super-deformed format or features a character teaching the viewer something about their village or special ability.
Overall, "Naruto Shippuden" is a great anime series and this first volume is definitely a great start for the sequel. But if you are planning to watch the series from beginning to end, you may want to purchase the DVD box set 1 which contains the first 13 episodes, special features and a limited edition version of the complete season which comes with a mini ninja Naruto and an exclusive art card.
For the anime series, since 2002, "Naruto" lasted until 2007 with a total of 220 episodes. The series would follow the adventures of a boy named Naruto Uzamaki, who may not be the brightest ninja from the Konoha Village but he makes it up with heart and also tremendous power as the killer beast known as the nine-tailed fox has been sealed within him.
Earlier in the series, the anime series focused on Naruto and his team members Sasuke Uchida and Sakura Haruno as they would go on adventures and learn to become a team and also honing their ninja abilities. The series would then begin to introduce other young ninjas from the village who Naruto would be paired up with and the young ninjas would take on rival clans to helping people in need. But somehow as the series continued, Sasuke Uchida would then go off on his own personal mission to stop his brother Itaki Uchida, who murdered the whole Uchida clan and his family, only leaving Sasuke alive.
Within those six years, we have seen Naruto and his friends grow as friends and also in their abilities. For Naruto, all he has wanted is to become the next Hokage (the leader of the village) when he grows older and to help his friends accomplish missions. He knows that to be a good leader, he will need to get stronger so he can protect the village once he grows older. Of course, there is so much involved in the "Naruto" anime series and what makes its special is its humor, its action but also how well the series integrates so many characters but yet features a good number of character driven episodes that makes the viewer appreciate many of the characters in the series.
"Naruto", the first series ended with the young ninja leaving to train with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years.
Here we are now with "Naruto Shippuden" (Naruto: Hurrican Chronicles), a sequel to the "Naruto" series which began a month after the first series ended in Feb. 2007 and as of Feb. 25, 2010, "Naruto Shippuden" aired its 149th episode in Japan. The series has been streaming through [...] a week after its airing in Japan with English subtitles but for fans who have wanted the English dub, the series began airing on Disney's XD channel. The series has been released in individual volumes (with a total of four episodes) courtesy of Shonen Jump Home Video ala Viz Media and also as complete season box sets.
In the sequel, Naruto arrives after his training and now he's a little older, taller but still is the same naive and energetic kid that he was when he left. Many things have changed since Naruto has left. Sasuke is still gone. Sakura has been training under current Hokage Lady Tsunade, while in the sand village, Gaara has succeeded his father as Sunagakure's Kazekage (the leader of the village).
This time the threat to the ninja clans are the Akatsuki, a criminal organization which includes powerful ninjas who defected from their villages and a group which include Sasuke's brother Itachi. At this current time, not much is known of what the Akatsuki are planning but the ninja clans are all under alert trying to figure out what their next move will be.
Here is a brief spoilerless summary of the first four episodes.
EPISODE 1 - Homecoming - Naruto arrives after his two and half year training with Jiraiya and learns of how things have changed a bit in the village.
EPISODE 2 - The Akatsuki Makes Its Move - The criminal organization Akatsuki makes its move against the Sand Ninja. Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura must go against their sensei Kakashi in redoing one of their earlier test trials.
EPISODE 3 - The Results of Training - Kakashi learns how far Sakura and Naruto have become. Meanwhile, a traitor is revealed from the Sand Village.
EPISODE 4 - The Jinchuriki of the Sand - The conclusion to Naruto and Sakura's test. Meanwhile, Gaara takes on Akatsuki's Deidara.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
One thing I noticed when it came to "Naruto" is that the series has had its share of well-animated and well-painted artistic backgrounds but then for some of the filler episodes, has had a decrease in quality. Fortunately, "Naruto Shippuden" looks very solid. I really like how the characters look much older and the emotions on the character's faces to the action that takes place in the Leaf and Sand Village is pretty cool. For the most part, with the four episodes that I've watched, Studio Pierrot has done a pretty solid job with "Naruto Shippuden".
As for the audio, audio is pretty much Stereo Bilingual (Japanese and English). Similar to a series like "Dragon Ball Z", with "Naruto", I have always enjoyed the voice acting of the English dub series. It's well done and the voices fit the characters very well. But I have watched the series in Japanese and English and for the most part, voice acting for both soundtracks are well-done. Since the series is front channel driven, for those with a modern home theater receiver probably will enjoy a more immersive soundscape by selecting stereo on all channels.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Naruto Shippuden" doesn't come with any special features but trailers.
JUDGMENT CALL:
What a wonderful start for "Naruto Shippuden". So, many fans who have been watching the anime series since its release back in 2002 have grown with this series and watched every episode continuously for so many years and now, here we are with the sequel that is full of action and for the most part, seeing how these characters progressed as a ninja and also have grown older in terms of the way they look. As usual, there is a lot of action but there is a lot of humor in the series and to see him and Sakura together especially taking on Kakashi-sensei was so hilarious.
These uncut episodes do include the commercial bumpers in the beginning and end and also includes the short animated sequence which features the characters in super-deformed format or features a character teaching the viewer something about their village or special ability.
Overall, "Naruto Shippuden" is a great anime series and this first volume is definitely a great start for the sequel. But if you are planning to watch the series from beginning to end, you may want to purchase the DVD box set 1 which contains the first 13 episodes, special features and a limited edition version of the complete season which comes with a mini ninja Naruto and an exclusive art card.
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