Blackjack612's Review of Naruto 557: Jokey Boy!!

[blackjack612]

Welcome all to another Naruto review. Before we get to this week's conclusion to the Gaara vs Mizukage fight, let's go over last week's poll results from when I asked you which of the revived Kage was your favorite. With more than four times as many votes as every other choice, you chose the Mizukage. Personally, I agree with that choice because he's been the most charismatic of the revived Kage and has thus far proved the most difficult of the Kage to subdue, but more on that in the chapter review...

Naruto 557: Jokey Boy
As always, images in this review are credited to mangastream/binktopia.


A Technique That's No Joke...Well Sortof

Jokey Boy opens with Gaara and Onōki bearing witness to the Mizukage's titular technique. Jokey Boy, a jutsu that even Mū didn't know how to counter, creates an oil and water clone. The makeup of the clone, which takes on the appearance of a child for strategic effect, allows its temperature to be easily manipulated. When it moves, the energy it exerts heats up the oil which causes the water inside to vaporize. The boiling water makes Jokey Boy expand until it eventually explodes under the pressure and also creating hail in the process to cool the water vapor and cause the clone reform. Through this continuous process of heating up and cooling, the Mizukage . The Second Mizukage also is (thus far) unique among the Hōzuki in that he can manipulate and incorporate into himself a viscous oil as well as water.

You've Already Used Your Phone a Friend

Onōki helpfully provides the Allies with this information which is the only useful thing he does this chapter because he back is still troubling him. As Jokey Boy dashes through the troops at a high speed, a sensor tracks down the real Mizukage's body. The Mizukage exhausted a majority of his chakra creating that jutsu and so hid in an attempt to evade capture. Gaara corners him and attempts to seal him once more using sand, yet that fails for two reasons. First, the Mizukage's oil abilities make a perfect counter to Gaara's sand jutsu. Second, Jokey Boy is in the field so he can tear off any seals they use on the Mizukage. Faced with such a troublesome technique, the Allies look towards the Mizukage for further detail on his weakness, but the Mizukage decides he's helped the Allies enough.

Colossus of Sand

The Mizukage argues that if the Allies, specifically two of the current five Kage, can't handle what an old-timer like him has to offer, then they don't stand a chance against the men pulling the strings, and he has a valid point. As a former Kage, the Mizukage is trying to help Gaara reach his full potential having been previously impressed by Gaara's performance against the Fourth Kazekage. Showing no signs of holding back, the Mizukage sends Jokey Boy into the midst of the Allied troops and explodes the clone, but Gaara shields his division with a wall of sand.

24K of High Caliber Shinobi

Jokey Boy reforms after the explosion and hurtles towards Gaara. It uses it's ability to expand to bypass Gaara's predictions of it's movements to smash into the young Kage, but ends up smashing into a sand clone instead. Gaara had mixed in gold dust from the Fourth Kazekage's previous assault into the clone, and so Jokey Boy's oil fused the gold into its form weighing the clone down. Gaara also uses hail mixed into his sand to cool the clone and prevent further explosions, and thus, successfully counters the technique. The chapter ends with the Mizukage recognizing Gaara as a true Kage and applauding his victory.

The chapter continues what's been an excellent artistic run from Kishimoto. Jokey Boy itself was the noticeable standout with a versatile design. It had a creepy childlike appearance, a dangerous looking bloated appearance, and (my favorite) the ominously smiling water vapor face.

All the other aspects of the chapter's art were solid. The remaining nameless soldiers of the Fourth Division were well utilized as cannon fodder and space filler. Gaara's sand seemed more textured than usual this chapter, but still looked gorgeous. All in all, everything that's been working these last few chapters continues to work well.

Overall, this was another solid chapter devoted squarely to fighting. There wasn't much in plot advancement, but the Mizukage provided a little thematic/character development as a Kage of the old guard looking to help the new generation develop into something worthy of succeeding him. The chapter's titular technique was actually really impressive in how it was structured (Jokey Boy is essentially a perpetual ninjutsu) and Gaara displayed his solid strategy in disarming it. It was a fine chapter, not the best, but I couldn't find much fault with it. So Naruto 557 Jokey Boy gets a...

5 out of 5.

Predictions

It's too soon to see whether my predictions from last week pan out, so I'll reiterate here that I think the next arc will follow Itachi, Sasuke, or Dan and the remaining revived shinobi.

My long term predictions for where Naruto is headed can be found in a previous review here.That’s all for now and see you next week space cowboy...

Stray Observations

• "Yo" The Mizukage knows that it's all in the delivery.
• "I'm going to stop doing that for you now..."
• "But...KA-BOOM!!!"
• "You really are...a golden egg!!"
• One Piece was on hiatus this week, but Bleach was interesting in the way it attempted (somewhat successfully) to humanize the Fullbringers who have thus far been lacking as villains. What I liked best about the chapter was how cold Hitsugaya's demeanor was towards Yukio despite being able to empathize with his situation.

[juUnior]

Good review.. good because I thought it would be a little longer <I had a feeling you 'rushed' it a little as you mentioned in the previous one with getting the job <gratz! I forgot to mention that last time> and seeing as the review was a little earlier than expected <BUT its good! xD>>

That said, I would like to say I voted for 'Kakashi and the Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist' BUT its not because I feel it will happen.. but because I want that to happen ^^

And one more thing: I expected that you will comment on this move as it seems to me really, really brutal <or maybe its just me, I commented on this in the new chapter thread>:

[blackjack612]

Good review.. good because I thought it would be a little longer <I had a feeling you 'rushed' it a little as you mentioned in the previous one with getting the job <gratz! I forgot to mention that last time> and seeing as the review was a little earlier than expected <BUT its good! xD>>

It is a bit shorter than usual, but not because of work related stuff. I just had less to say about this chapter than I thought I would. I liked it and thought the action was well coordinated, but aside from wrapping up the Revived Kage arc, there wasn't any plot development. And it was light on thematic/character development and philosophy. But mostly, it feels like there wasn't much I could say about this chapter that I didn't already say about the last one. The hazard of viewing a serialized manga like this one on a weekly basis is that we're seeing stories in their incomplete form. Certain things carry over chapter to chapter during an arc and so reviewing a chapter feels like reviewing the first third or half of a television episode.

I expect I'll have much more to say next week when the Mizukage is actually sealed signaling that this arc is officially over. Then I'll be able to evaluate this arc as a whole which I enjoyed more than I expected given how high my expectations were. If this arc had an overall theme, it would be how younger generations are passed the torch from previous generations. At times all the revived Kage (and Itachi and Nagato) gave valid advice on what makes a good Kage, although Mu served as an example of what not to become. Then all the past Kages (and I'll include Nagato in this category as the Amekage because he definitely belonged in that tier) were surpassed in battle by their successors signaling the worthiness of the new era.

And one more thing: I expected that you will comment on this move as it seems to me really, really brutal <or maybe its just me, I commented on this in the new chapter thread>:

I didn't it think it was that brutal, but the Mizukage shooting Onoki at point blank range raises the bar on what passes for brutal in this manga.

[Newkerzy]

I think you didn't notice that the Mizukage gave an unintentional clue:

http://mangastream.com/read/naruto/33966361/10

I think that "Golden Egg" comment from him may very well have given Gaara the idea to use his dad's gold. It's a lot like how Naruto can take an offhand remark and turn it into a genius idea.

[mattiaildivino]

nice review. have you noticed the "LOOL" on mizukage's clone's right arm? http://mangastream.com/read/naruto/33966361/14 .it reminds me when kishi wrote this XD on yamato's face in volume 32 http://www.mangareader.net/93-293-13...apter-288.html

[ashher]

I voted other. I think its gonna follow naruto, since had a panel of him.

[mattiaildivino]

I've voted kakashi,but maybe I had to vote "other" because I think we will see both kakashi and naruto's clones.itachi sasuke and madara aren't going to appear in the next chapters.

[jorped]

Awesome review as always !
I voted Kakashi, not because i think we are going to see him next chapter, but yes because his last appearance already happened long time ago, and Kishi said this was going to be "Kakashi's year" so .... and Kakashi is definitely one of the characters i most love so it would be awesome to see him.

[mattiaildivino]

anyway this chapter was too cool,and its end was perfect as well.probably this chapter will be the last one of volume 58, I think volume 58 will have got 13 chapters,as did volume 43. this end remind me volume 52 and 53's. look to believe http://www.mangareader.net/93-51588-...apter-494.html and http://www.mangareader.net/93-56104-...apter-504.html