ANBU4U's Naruto Review, 356

ANBU4U · Jun 3, 2007

ANBU4U's Naruto Review

Chapter 356

This is possibly the most atrocious spread I've ever seen

Well, I finally decided to start reviewing Naruto. With school over and GK on sabbatical it just felt like the right time. I'll try to keep this going until September at least.

The images I'm using are from Bludshock Edited Mangas. Thanks a million to Kylara who found the RAW for us and Nihongaeri who translated it. I think I'm fine, but if there's any problem with me using any of these images just let me know and I'll do everything I can to rectify the mistake.
I'd also like to thank Sahugani, while he didn't help me directly I based the format of my review off his. They come off so crisp I couldn't help myself, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right? Anyway, lets get this thing started.

Unknowing Rivals

Until I see the Anime I just can't look at this and think 'Red-head'

Last weeks chapter leaves us with a classic cliffhanger "who is stalking our hero's?" And in true dramatic fashion this weeks chapter immediately picks up where the last left off...only to cut away before anything is revealed. The good news is it takes us to this little scene. It seems that rather than following Sasuke's scent particularly Sakura's nin-dog has been smelling remnants of Sasuke's scent on one of his "hebi" underlings...Karin.

Interesting.....this scene is definitely foreshadowing some sort of conflict between the two shinobi in the future.....but I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seems almost as if Karin was created to give Sakura someone to fight...which is well...lame. I'd like it if Kishi mixed it up and had Sakura fight.....Oh say Suigetsu, now wouldnt that be interesting?

An Old Friend?

I used to love this guy, and if done right he'll become an excellent villain

After Sakura loses track of Sasuke's scent the scence immediately changes back to our cliffhanger. The fact that it switched to Naruto and not back to Sasuke should have told you where Diedara was without having to turn another page.

I'm genuinely happy to see Kabuto back, he had a great amount of depth and mystery for the face time he was alloted and always gave you the feeling he had an alterior motive. Whether he actually did or not is almost irrelevant. But why is he here?

One Track Mind

This is almost officially old now, Naruto's obsession with Sasuke almost defies logic....without Yaoi interpretations

Of course the first thing Naruto asks upon realizing who's behind them is "Is Sasuke ok?" Understandable perhaps.....but endlessly lame. He's like a panicked girlfriend whos boyfriend forgot to call her after work. I beg of you Kishi, give Naruto something...anything to strive for other than Sasuke's return after this arc. At any rate Kabuto takes this moment to offer Naruto a 'gift', potentially everything he needed to know about Akatsuki on a golden platter. And why you ask would he do this? We'll come back to this.

Idiocy with a Purpose

Tobi's such a good boy

Finally, back to the good stuff. As you already knew by now Akatsuki awaits Sasuke...but it's not Diedara who greets Sasuke...it's Tobi acting goofy as usual. Or is he?

I've always thought it was fairly clear that Tobi wasn't the moron he appeared to be...but rather (much like Naruto) it was just in his nature to act like a imbecile. Still, there's method to his madness as this scene shows, and no doubt....the boy can fight.

Tobi greets Sasuke all alone then immediately mentions his brother to get a rise out of him. After receiving a predictably angry look at the mention of Itachi's name Tobi comically runs back to the tree line because he thought Sasuke looked "scary". Yea...that and because he knew damn well Deidara was about to drop a nuke on Sasuke's head. Brilliant, if an utter waste of effort.

This is why I'm Hot

Ok, say what you want..but this manga would lose half of its cool factor without Sasuke

Seems as though we can finally put outright summoning on Sasuke's resume....about time, as its been alluded in spreads since what? Chapter 7? All thats left now is Sakura.

The funny thing is, the giant snake Sasuke summoned in an instant to protect himself from Deidara's bombs isn't even the best part of this scene...but rather it's the look Sasuke gives before dismissing his summon. The guys clearly annoyed and insulted that they'd even try such an attack.

Classic.

On a side note: I'm excited that we'll finally be able to measure Sasuke's skill relative to Naruto and Co. Thus far all we've gotten is some wicked snipits (CS1, CS2, Chidori Nagashi, Chidori Sword, Swordplay, Speed, Summoning, Genjutsu, and extreme finesse) but now we'll finally see how that comes together against true S-ranked shinobi.....shinobi that we know first-hand are powerfull, and who we can compare to other characters ability...i.e. Kakashi and Naruto.

I've had enough of the hype, its time to put the debates to a stop.

Rebirth

You can only be reborn once a lifetime

Ok so back to Kabuto's 'gift'. Apparently Naruto's infectious personality has struck yet again...but this time with a twist. As Kabuto has decided to imitate Naruto's drive to become recognized for his own abilities by taking in and surpassing Orochimaru. This brings up an interesting scenario as.....Kishi is not going to have two semi-oro's walking around plotting domination.

1) It's redundant
2) Oro just isn't THAT good of a villain

So I personally think we can put to bed Oro living on through Sasuske. While I do think his memories are alive in Sasuke somewhere...I think with these new developments its safe to say they are completely under Sasuke's command. Oro is no more alive in Sasuke now then Gen'yumaru was alive after Oro took him over. Orochimaru's deception and scheming will live on through Kabuto as he will become the next great threat after the Akatsuki are dismantled. If this is the case it may even be Sasuke's knowledge of Orochimaru that helps the the good guys tackle Kabuto's future mechanisms.

Closing Thoughts

Not a bad chapter at all. It gave me some closure on the whole Sasuke/Orochimaru deal, re-introduced Kabuto, set up elements for future arcs, and topped it all off with a scene of Sasuke doing what Sasuke does best. Makin' it look good. Still, it wasn't epic so I'm only going to give it a 4 stars out of 5. I'm really looking forward to whats next.

If you're curious about my predictions for future chapter's here you are: http://www.mangahelpers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=417966#post417966

sahugani · Jun 3, 2007