Naruto Unleashed: Series 8 Part 2 (Review)
Thursday, 4th February 2010, 18:56

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Extras
Wheeling out the same menus again, the only extras you’ll find are the trailers on disc 1, Naruto the Movie, and Naruto the Movie 2. And once again, Manga haven’t bothered to adequately chapter the episodes, with just a single stop in the middle of each. At least let us skip the credit sequences.

Conclusion
After that pessimistic and overly cynical opening paragraph, I find that I have to eat my words, as conforms to the usual reviewer’s cliché. Actually, not so much eat my words as just delicately nibble at the edges, as while this sixteenth instalment of Naruto is nowhere near as dire as the previous deliveries of filler and inconsequence, it is still, undoubtedly filler, the cobbled together non-narrative designed to provide a burst of familiarity, keeping the characters’ popularity alive while the manga creator comes up with more original storyline to eventually animate. For the last few volumes, Naruto filler has been excruciatingly bad, but now, as if the creators have sensed that the series is coming to the end of its lifespan, they’ve decided to actually put some effort into what they are creating, probably hoping to leave viewers on something of a high, so that when Naruto Shippuden does eventually begin, they haven’t got to wash the taste of nausea out of their mouths first.

But just so that you don’t feel totally adrift, there are a few crimes against animation in this set, and typically, they are the standalone episodes, and typically, they bookend the set. The first isn’t exactly a standalone episode, it’s the final part of a two-part story, the one that sees Gai lured into the mountains by some evil ninja, requiring rescue by Naruto, Rock Lee and friends. It rips off (ahem, pays homage to) Shaolin Wooden Men with abandon, and there is some interest in the story, but it ends disappointingly, with a whimper rather than a bang. Stuck in the middle of the set is the recap episode, which surprisingly for such a long running show has been fairly thin on the ground. It’s not really a recap episode in the true sense of the word, it’s just an excuse to replay some of the more mediocre action sequences from the show (mostly because the really good fights wound up lasting two or three or even four episodes in length), and as a little gift, there’s a reminder of what all this Naruto stuff is all about, with cameos from Orochimaru and Sasuke. We end the set with another stinker, with Naruto forced to play bodyguard to someone utterly obnoxious, but on the course of their journey, they develop an understanding and become friends. Last time it was a little snot-nosed brat, this time it’s a clean-nosed adult, but even more obnoxious.

It’s the arcs that made me pay attention to Naruto as I haven’t done in a good thirty or more episodes. There are two decent sized arcs in this collection, and they both have interesting stories and characters, offering something other than the usual Naruto tropes, and even threatening (although never really delivering) character development. The first is the equivalent of Die Hard, with mysterious goings on in the village following the theft of some secret plans. It turns out that Naruto’s new ramen-eating friend is responsible, and Naruto has to deal with feelings of betrayal. Especially when it transpires that his friend has set explosives around the village with the intent of destroying everything. It’s a race against time to save the village, and pretty much all of the Genin that we have encountered so far have to join forces to accomplish this end, as rumours of an attack have sent everyone else to the border. In many ways this story is a treat, as we get to see all of these characters, Shikamaru, Ino, Rock Lee, Choji, Shino, Kiba, Tenten, Hinata, Neji, Sakura and Naruto shine, and really work together as a team for the first time. The conclusion is a bit of a disappointment, but the ride to get there is worth it.

The second arc on this set is the best filler story yet, offering a look at Kurenai’s past and developing her character beyond just Shino, Kiba, and Tenten’s master. There are hints of conspiracy and dark dealings among the Leaf Village hierarchy, the suggestion that the Third Hokage may not have been the whiter than white, grandfatherly figure he appeared to be, and the parallels between the girl Yakumo and Naruto’s own past have a far greater role to play that just providing a hook for Naruto to empathise with. The thought arises that Naruto just got lucky with the way that his path led, that sealing up the Nine Tailed Fox in him was a last resort, and could very easily have been the same sort of curse that left Yakumo institutionalised and psychologically damaged. Of course the story doesn’t end well in terms of narrative satisfaction. And it’s all too clear why. If interesting characters like this were allowed to develop, if the story did get a suitable ending, then fans would no doubt clamour to see more of the characters, which given that this is filler and not manga adaptation would be impossible.

After two or three sets of sheer tedium, Naruto suddenly gets tolerable, indeed watchable. You can’t get away from the fact that it is just filler, nothing to do with the Naruto story proper, but if you give it a little leeway, there is actually entertainment value in the greater portion of this set. And after this, there is only one more set to go! Hurrah!

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