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First of all, to all my loyal readers... thank you all for your great support that's kept me going for so long. Unfortunately, I have some bad news.
I'm sorry about this, but RL has unfortunately struck in a big way for me, and I have to be away enough that I won't be able to do my Ten Comments anymore in its normal format. Meaning, it won't be as detailed an analysis, rather more just quick thoughts, and no accompanying images.
That's actually how my Comments used to be, back on Naruto Forums, when Part 2 started. Quick enough for me to type in under 30 minutes, because I used to still be in college at the time and didn't have the time for anything more than that back then either.
Though I know it won't be as fun reading as before, I do still have a need to express my thoughts on the most recent Naruto chapters. I'm too much of a Narutard just to keep quiet!
So I'm creating this thread mainly for everybody who would still like to discuss with me about the latest Naruto chapters. As well as just throw out my thoughts about every chapter. And rate 'em. In quick fashion. Rather than doing each chapter in separate threads, this will be a continuing thread, at least until I'm able to return to doing more detailed Ten Comments later on ^^
And I do have a hour to spare, so here goes for both Chapters 345 and 346.
EDIT: I am adding future chapter reviews to this first post, and I'm arranging them from bottom to top. I've also decided to add cover images as well, just to make it easier to find the chapters you want.
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Sorry for the lateness everybody. I know what I said - that I'd do a full review for 350.
But that was before I read the chapter, and well, I think I'm going to save the extra treatment for another chapter - because I really didn't find that much to talk about that I didn't already say something about before, to be honest ^^;
That and I'm still a little bit preoccupied even today unfortunately... so if you guys don't mind I'll just do another short 10 comments for this one, too. (Maybe I'll do the full review next time).
Though it is still my 50th Naruto review here at Mangahelpers, so yay for anniversaries! xD
Ok, on to the chapter itself. Once again Kylara has to get the credit for providing the full chapter for us, Hisshouburaiken for translating, and also thanks to NBST for the Edited Manga as well as everybody else who did one.
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Chapter 350: Ground-Breaking News!
Cover: Uhm, yes. Well, compare the colored spread we got for Naruto to what the Bleach fans got last week (best covers I've seen in forever), and I think it's probably obvious why I didn't feel very enthusiastic about this one.
Not only did it not satisfy by choosing to not reveal the official colors of Sasuke's new comrades yet, it wasn't even a dynamic spread either.
Comment 1:
Actually, I don't blame Naruto for misunderstanding the situation when Sakura came to his door and knocked on it. Granted, they're teammates, but it's usually not the girl who comes knockin'. Hehe, and Sakura's angry reactions is starting to make me think that she's just hiding her feelings, too.
I wonder if Naruto's sleeping habits have changed lately because of his injured arm (since he overslept). That wound sure is taking him a while to heal fully, even with the Kyuubi inside him.
Comment 2:
Jiraiya's back, eh? Somehow I can't help but feel that Kishimoto has seen the Shippuden anime and realized he needed to give us more scenes with both Jiraiya and Tsunade in the manga, too.
Comment 3.
So Naruto and Sakura now knows that Sasuke defeated Orochimaru, if he didn't outright kill him at least.
While not unexpected, I do like that Kishimoto didn't take his sweet time in letting them hear the rumors too, since they certainly seem to have already spread over all the Five Lands.
Comment 4.
Ah, Naruto, Naruto. First he says that he knew Sasuke would free himself all along (if that's true, why the heck did he worry so much, heh) - and then he goes and naively expects Sasuke to be coming home. Sometimes I get the feeling Naruto actually doesn't know Sasuke ALL that well...
Comment 5.
Okay, so we get a change of scenery, and we see Team Sasuke facing down an army of Cursed Seal monsters. And Sasuke asks Karin to apparently scan them all to see if Juugo is one of them...?
Suigetsu would seem to confirm it later that one of her abilities is apparently "finding." Does she have an sixth sense or something that works like the Byakugan?
And man, I guess Cursed Seal monsters weren't that rare after all. I wonder if they were all rejected concepts by Kishimoto while he was inventing the Sound Four, heh. Orochimaru must have had them all locked up because he couldn't keep them all under his watch, and they'd probably bring too much attention to him if they ever did get out of control...
Comment 6.
Oh, man, so Sasuke didn't kill that dude last chapter after all. Though Suigetsu certainly seems to believe it's due to Sasuke being a Leaf Ninja, heh, but I wonder if Kishimoto is just trying to convince us that Naruto and Sakura's former teammate is still on the side of good.
Still... even Leaf Ninja kill, too, don't they? I know I saw Kakashi kill, before. I know the Leaf are more of pacifists than ninja from other countries, partly thanks to Sandaime's teachings, but, well, if Kishimoto is trying to create the impression that Leaf Ninja (ie. Naruto) will somehow be failures if they kill too often, that idea isn't going to be very popular with the fans, I think.
But either way, right there, we probably just got a hint that Naruto is probably never going to be much of a killer in the entire series. Not that I could see him being one anyway.
Comment 7.
Kinda annoying that one second we see a whole army hissing and snarling at Team Sasuke, and the next page they're all on their backsides gasping for breath and mercy. And we didn't get to see any action at all.
I guess the point was just to let us know that Team Sasuke was definitely formidable, but c'mon, Kishimoto, at least one lousy page of exciting action, even if it is of Sasuke and Suigetsu swinging their swords, wouldn't have hurt.
But instead we just got a guy moaning, "too strong," right before he loses consciousness. Yeah, we'll have to take your word for it. Wuss.
Comment 8.
Once again we get a little Suigetsu-Karin "internal conflict" where this time, Karin misdirects Suigetsu in going one way and she goes off the other way with Sasuke. More than ever now, Karin really seems like a spoiled kid to me. I'm not quite liking her as much as I did at the start, even though this scene was still mildly amusing.
What surprises me is Sasuke went along with it without even bothering to call Suigetsu back. He must have been more concerned with finding Juugo at the time.
I think the one thing that really made an impression on me, though, was that Sasuke hasn't changed ALL that much.
'Would you let me go? I can walk fine on my own.' What does that remind you of...? How about the next-to-last panel of this oldie? Heh. Same ol' Sasuke.
Comment 9.
Hmmm, so we get our first real look at Juugo's full face. He seems to me more like a psychotic punk than anything else. You guys know something though? It'd be interesting if he actually turned out to be the reverse of that, and that he was actually a very nice guy who wouldn't even hurt a bug. But having been locked up for so long probably put his "rage illness" in overtime.
Comment 10.
So, big battle coming up between Sasuke and Juugo next chapter? I hope we'll get to see some REAL action this time, unlike when they were fighting the monsters. Well, I'd like to see Juugo actually put a scare in Sasuke. I sort of think the biggest reason Sasuke wanted Juugo is for his fighting prowess, so...
FINAL VERDICT: Okay, hate to say this, but this wasn't the most memorable chapter ever. I think Kishimoto is back to his old habits of sort of slowing down the pace again. But a chapter that gave me this much trouble finding something to talk about, isn't a particularly great one at all. Just a lead-in to the next chapter, a filler, though I am glad Naruto and Sakura found out about Sasuke's escape, and that we finally got to the final member of Team Sasuke. So... a 4 it is this time.
RATING: 4 of 5
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Once again, Kylara has come to our rescue here with the RAW. Consider yourself lucky we have *such* a fantastic girl as her hanging out here who's willing to spend some of her valuable time scanning her mags in order to help us out! Thanks also to Hisshou for his terrific translation and Dynamic Dragon for his MQ scan, and Japflap for continuing to do their terrific HQs!
Chapter 349: North Base!
Comment 1:
Okay, so I get the North Hideout's supposed to be full of terrifying, twisted human experiments due to it being Orochimaru's primary laboratory.
What I don't get is why Karin seemed so disgusted when talking about the "horrible, unnatural monsters." I mean, as one of Orochimaru's "dedicated followers," she was likely to have a hand in some of these creations, too! Yes, she could just have been nervous about the inevitable riot that would take place there shortly, but I still had the feeling she was somehow disgusted with the place. Which did strike me as kinda odd. Maybe she just wanted to try to find a little more romantic place for her and Sasuke to be, heh.
Comment 2:
Ah, so we get the answer to Juugo's cryptic ramblings at the end of the last chapter - he was thinking of which he'd rather want to kill right now, a guy or a girl. Still kinda twisted, but definitely not as bad as we all thought he was talking about at first!
Comment 3.
Suigetsu sure likes to take a lot of breaks to sip some water (assuming that's what it is). Karin accused him of being tired a lot due to carrying Zabuza's blade around. Heh, well, it'll build up his stamina with time, I guess. I'm guessing he wasn't too big on endurance before.
I'm kinda curious about whether he has to drink a lot of water in order to replenish himself or not. He also seemed to be just fine when walking on water or close to it (as on the bridge), but not on land. Hmm.
Either way, I don't get the sense he's really a "slacker" as Karin called him. It's almost as though he *has* to stop to rest one way or another. Wonder how Sasuke feels about that slowing down the progress - but he naturally hasn't said much about it to this point.
Comment 4.
Karin, incidentally, seems *really* flaky right now. She's obviously trying hard to hook up with Sasuke but she still seems very embarrassed if her feelings are in any way suspected or revealed to Suigetsu. Which all does seem to imply that she's truthfully romantically interested in Sasuke, whether it's because she's attracted to power or just a pretty boy... or both, I guess!
I can't help but wonder if she's determinely trying to act like an amateur at hiding her feelings or she has an ulterior motive in seeming so, though. I think that I'd like for the latter to be true - because if Karin's just being a great actress right now instead of being so obvious, then it'd only add to the drama and the story even more.
Unfortunately I don't think that's the case here. She really is nuts about him - or just plain nuts!
Comment 5.
Good! Now we get the answer to why Suigetsu went along with Sasuke: he has his own agenda, too. Maybe they're both out for revenge. I like that our questions were answered pretty early on.
Something tells me Suigetsu will have his own back-story that'll be revealed pretty soon.
Comment 6.
I absolutely loved the subtle humor in the page where Suigetsu accused Juugo of being crazy of coming to Orochimaru "under his own will," and Sasuke looking over to him and seeming a little put off by that comment. Priceless stuff.
Would have totally rocked too if Suigetsu actually knew that Sasuke did the same thing, but wanted to egg him on anyway.
Comment 7.
So Juugo, somebody who seemingly can't control his powerful "killing intent," is, basically, the origin of the Cursed Seal. Excellent!
One of the things I was so nervous about after Orochimaru's defeat was that Kishimoto would just totally skim over the whole history of the Cursed Seals and how their power operated, but looks like we're going to get our answers on all that, too. Or maybe we already did with this chapter.
It would also explain why Orochimaru couldn't take away Sasuke's Cursed Seal during his fight with him - he actually didn't have any power over it after all.
Think vampires - Orochimaru's had Juugo's blood - or enzymes if you want to get detailed - on his fangs, he went to bite Sasuke's neck, the venom bestowed the Seal on his victim, and the Seal changed Sasuke into another Juugo. Or would have.
Without taking the proper methods to "stop" the Seal from overtaking his body, it would have killed him or made him incapable of controlling himself, and maybe that's what Tayuya meant by that it would enslave him to Orochimaru - just like Juugo right now. Well, or maybe most victims.
Comment 8.
I was really afraid when I saw the dude that was tearing up the place, thinking at first that this guy was Juugo. I was like, hadn't we already seen this guy before? Remember Jiroubou of the Sound Four? Yeah, this guy seemed like his twin brother or something.
If he HAD turned out to be Juugo, I would have had serious doubts about Kishimoto's creativity - he really would have seemed like he was running out of character designs. I needn't have worried.
Must have been Kishimoto wanting to psych the readers out a little bit. He got me.
Comment 9.
I actually didn't expect Sasuke to be able to take care of "Jiroubou #2" in a single sword stroke. Looks like Karin shouldn't have worried either!
Comment 10.
So, Juugo is going to kill a girl if one opens the door eh? Heh, I predict already we're going to get a little scary moment where it seems like Karin is gonna open the door next chapter. Mark my words.
Juugo's face being revealed above the nose almost makes me think he could be related somehow to the Akatsuki leader. He seems to have the same hair and facial shape. Eyes of course are different - no double pupils - but I can't help but think Kishimoto decided to go with a different design for the Leader altogether and used another design he had in mind for him for Juugo instead. Guess we'll see.
FINAL VERDICT: Another very good chapter, though a bit too much on the talky side and not enough action, so I'm going to have to give it less than a 5 rating. Lots of answers though which made me happy.
RATING: 4.5 of 5
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Thanks to Kylara for the RAW again! And Hisshou for his translation and Cez & Kokotas for their great MQ Edited Manga.
Chapter 348: The Next One!
Cover: Suigetsu.
Seems like Kishimoto's trying to do something a little different with him here, eh? Not smiling so much here - he's almost solemn. Almost seems as though he's saying a prayer, isn't he?
Karin's probably going to be on the next chapter cover.
Comment 1:
Suigetsu shoots the question that's been on my mind the last two weeks. What exactly is Sasuke up to?
Sasuke didn't really give us a definite answer though, but he did say that he needed a full platoon to pull off the plan he had in mind effectively. So, why Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo? Sasuke here says he had selected them all very long ago for their particular abilities.
I couldn't help but think of Shikamaru; he's somebody else who would also think that far ahead - remember how he had come up with a plan in order for his team to be able to defeat Hidan and Kakuzu? Even though Ino and Chouji weren't as useful as Kakashi was in the end, they did each do their part for him.
So is Sasuke developing Shikamaru tendencies? Heh. Well, maybe not all the way. Shikamaru could probably come up with a plan using anybody he had around him. Sasuke might have had to think very carefully about which shinobi to choose because he couldn't do likewise...
Comment 2:
Suigetsu also brings up why he definitely wouldn't like Karin: they were on opposite sides of the fence as far as their feelings about Orochimaru were concerned.
Whereas Suigetsu seemed to bear some sort of grudge against his former captor for having experimented and imprisoned him for so long, Karin apparently is devoted to Orochimaru.
But she's maybe not SO devoted to Orochimaru as he thinks... but I'll get to that in a bit.
Comment 3.
So what are Karin's "unique abilities" that made Sasuke want her on his team so much?
Suigetsu's agreement with Sasuke by saying "oh yeah, she's unique, I'll give her that," really makes me wonder. Especially coming from him...
Comment 4.
Boy, Orochimaru sure liked having prisoners. I wonder how well he took care of them...
Makes me wonder if that's how Karin and Suigetsu fell into his clutches as well, both originally prisoners.
I had to laugh when one of the prisoners thought that the only reason Sasuke came there was to free them.
But man, how much time exactly went by since Sasuke defeated Orochimaru? It didn't take long for the rumors to spread all over? I guess Sasuke and Suigetsu *had* been walking around, though... must have been a week or so.
Comment 5.
Karin's first appearance was kinda eye-opening wasn't it? I loved that she seemed so accusing at the start. "I knew it!" Guess that's the "shitty attitude" Suigetsu mentioned earlier - she definitely seems "bossy."
I have a hard time deciding what the appropriate nickname for her would be ... Glasses? Legs? Spiky? Nerd? Heh.
Although I think I know what all the SasuNaru fans would probably call her, but I want to keep this review PG-rated...
Anyway, she definitely has a different look from the other female kunoichi in the series. Closest would be Kurenai, but she definitely doesn't seem as warm...
I can't help but think of her being a black-haired, female version of Kabuto, though. Heh, so now, not only does Sasuke have a mini-Kisame on his side, he also has a female Kabuto? Wonder if she can heal at all...
Comment 6.
Kishimoto's strength of dialogue writing is really shining through here. We're already becoming accustomed to Suigetsu after only a span of two chapters, and we's starting to get a sense of who he is and how he thinks.
When Sasuke tells him to go free the prisoners, Suigetsu was all like, "still acting like the boss, eh?" He seems somewhat macho in that he doesn't want Sasuke to "look down" on him so he's constantly reminding Sasuke that he doesn't consider him the "boss."
Comment 7.
And that's not even all. When Suigetsu goes to free the prisoners, he told them to spread the word that Sasuke was bringing "peace and safety to the world." He might as well be like, "Sasuke's fighting for Truth, Justice, and the Konoha Way!!!"
Seems like Suigetsu's got a twisted sense of humor. He knew that'd bother Sasuke. I have a feeling Suigetsu's popularity is going to just rise after this chapter. He's definitely personable.
Comment 8.
Back to Sasuke and Karin. Initially Karin was all adamant and refusing to go, then suddenly she changed her mind and "warmed up to Sasuke" as only a fangirl can.
But.... is she so much a Sasuke fangirl, or was she just trying to play him?
I think when the realization hit her that Sasuke did indeed defeat Orochimaru, then her devotion to her former master became obscure. And she decided to go over to Sasuke's side then, and that was when she started putting the moves on.
So she might not be *THAT* lovestruck with Sasuke, but is just trying to charm him into thinking that she could be somebody he can trust. I have a feeling she's "faking" most of it, though I do think she's genuinely attracted to him either way.
Whatever the case, I can imagine this happening in real life, so I have no problem with it. As for everybody who complains, "ugh, not another Sasuke fangirl!" Well - Sasuke was established early on as being a girl magnet, so I actually think Kishimoto is just saying here that Sasuke's "still got it," ya know? We haven't had too many antics lately where girls are all crazy over Sasuke, because he's been nowhere to be seen.
Kishimoto, I believe, just wants to re-establish that part about Sasuke in Part 2 that we already knew from Part 1. So I'm totally fine with it. It also brings up all kinds of interesting drama later on for whenever Sakura or Ino might run into Karin.
Comment 9.
So Kishimoto must have liked the Hulk movie, maybe? Not only can Suigetsu transform to water, he can also control his body parts to grow bigger, too? I guess that's not so surprising, though... I mean, he obviously CAN control his body molecules to begin with...
Makes him more interesting than just a "water guy" in my book, though, so I'm glad.
Comment 10.
SO, Juugo. Uh-oh. He must have been involved in a lot of bathroom scandals while in prison...
Creepy is all I can say. But I can see a lot of people making a *LOT* of jokes as a result of what he said this page... it's definitely got people talking. So all I can say is that Kishimoto did his magic again. Another interesting character coming up, definitely...
FINAL VERDICT: Awesome chapter, I think. 'Team Sasuke' definitely seems to be having a lot of interesting characters, Suigetsu is pretty cool, and Karin is an intriguing character to me. The dialogue, art, and the overall story in this one was top notch.
RATING: 5 of 5
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Sorry guys, I wasn't able to even access MH all week, so I just now saw everybody's comments! xD
I'm glad that some of you guys don't seem to mind the downgraded version of my reviews. =) I'll try to reply with more of my thoughts to everybody's posts later on but right now let me just get my thoughts on 347 out ^^
Chapter 347: Side Trip!!
1. Juugo from the North Base? Karin from the South Base? Aha, so Sasuke IS trying to form a group... for what purpose? Probably just to make the odds against the Akatsuki a little better?
In response to Iwanin's post, I certainly hope it's a little more interesting than just having a Rock nin, Wind nin, etc. to go with Suigetsu being a Water nin. I already got my fill of "elemental buddies" from watching the Ghost Rider movie! xD
2. So, how does Suigetsu look like? Got our answer to that one here. Long hair, intense eyes, and the teeth of a piranha.
I guess you could call my first impression pretty much neutral on his design, it wasn't until later in the story I started to appreciate it a little better.
3. Suigetsu's dislike of Juugo and Karin seems to show that he wasn't expecting Sasuke to choose these two in particular. Could it be that there are more others around that Sasuke COULD have picked to go with him? I suppose Orochimaru probably had a lot of prisoners...
You know, what is the nature of Suigetsu's dislike of the others, though? Is it because Suigetsu's disgusted by their violent natures? This is what I first thought when he seemed said here "what does that say about you Sasuke that you picked them..."
But I think the opposite is probably true - Suigetsu might not like them because he considers them "weak and emotional" possibly. Still, I believe Sasuke doesn't care too much about their personalities as long as they're all *powerful* enough to be able to face down the Akatsuki. Guess we'll see.
4. Sasuke's bossy attitude amused me as much as it seemed to irrirate Suigetsu. That might be something that might get Sasuke in trouble later on.
Suigetsu is another "God of Flash," eh? Y'know, I think if a guy in the nude was right behind me, I mean, RIGHT there, I think my heart would probably have skipped a beat... whether I killed Orochimaru or not. Sasuke must have had ice in his veins...
5. Oh wow, Zabuza is actually mentioned in this chapter as Suigetsu's "senior". Whaddaya know? Maybe my theory of Suigetsu being the love child of Zabuza and Haku wasn't that far off after all! Ha!
Makes me think Suigetsu could possibly be from the Momochi clan. Of course, we don't know just how many clans in the Water Country exhibit such distinguishing features as razor-sharp teeth. There could be more clans and they could all be half-fish!
Whatever the case, here's a little quick drawing I did to show the differences between Suigetsu and Zabuza, heh.
Originally posted on my DeviantArt. =)
6. Hah, so Konohamaru's finally learned Kage Bunshin? And what does he use it for? What else?
You guys probably remember that Naruto was able to beat Konohamaru's instructor, Ebisu, by using Mass Kage Bunshin and then turning them all into naked girls hugging the stuffings out of him.
So I'm really not surprised at all that Konohamaru was inspired enough to do a similar trick. "Double Knockout Girls!"
7. But who the hell inspired Konohamaru to do "Double Knockout Guys!???"
I blame the yaoi fangirls. One of them must have gotten into the series and bribed him into doing it!! (LoL @ Sakura's reaction - she's been exposed as a pervert after all!)
(Seriously, this chapter almost seemed like Kishimoto took a break and just let a fan write the plot instead of him!)
Ah well, hope you fangirls enjoyed the eye candy!
8. The Great Naruto Bridge! Actually didn't expect Kishimoto to EVER return to the Land of the Waves at all. It's a nice homage to the first part - the Zabuza arc was what got many of us really loving Naruto - and it's pretty amusing to have seen Sasuke's reaction to the name of the bridge. Just as I would've imagined, though, he just said "hmph."
Still, again, it feels as though a fan was writing the plot for this chapter.
9. THE RETURN OF ZABUZA'S BLADE!!! Awesome. And it's not rusty eh?
I loved Zabuza as a bad guy, and I don't believe Suigetsu will be as cool as him, but what the heck. It sure brings back the good memories.
Funny though to see Suigetsu struggle to just hold it - I wonder how good he'll actually be with it, though, considering he probably hasn't been able to train with a similar sword for years, trapped in that container as he was? Maybe he hadn't been a prisoner for so many years as Sasuke, though...
Seems like Suigetsu's definitely from Kirigakure, though, if he's been training to try to become one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
10. So who's this at the end of the chapter? Karin? Definitely a female, though...
Looks like we're going to have a Team Sasuke - so I definitely predict a confrontation between Team 7 and Team Sasuke at some point.
FINAL VERDICT: This was a surprising chapter. As I said, it almost seemed like a fan wrote the plot for the chapter. It was also disorienting how Sasuke and Suigetsu just seemed to immediately move from Orochimaru's hideout to the Water Country, without much pretense. The Konohamaru antic also seemed to be out of place - not saying that Kishimoto shouldn't have included something like that, but he probably should just have saved that for another occasion. This chapter would have been better if it just concentrated on Sasuke and Suigetsu all the way through (and maybe already introduced one of the other two eventual companions). I AM curious to see where all this leads to...
RATING: 4 of 5
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Chapter 346: The Secret of the New Jutsu!!
1. Another Sasuke cover? Kishimoto's obviously making up for lost time - though it's a rather cool cover, and I'm glad that there's still hints that Sasuke may be summoning snakes himself at a later point. This makes me wonder, though, just what will be Sakura's reaction when she finds out her own animals will probably be slugs... poor girl!
But then again, she'd probably prefer slugs to snakes anyway. These reptiles tend to scare girls, don't they?
2. Woah, Sasuke actually pulled Kabuto into Orochimaru's dimension with his own Sharingan? It seems as though the Sharingan must have that ability as well - and Orochimaru must have possessed it through his own eyes, perhaps? Or mouth... >.>
I wonder if we'll ever find out if Sasuke has his own dimension where he's able to toy with his opponent's minds, like Itachi's (when he trapped the Kakashi clone.) Guess we'll find out in time, but I think he does. Wonder if Kakashi does though...
3. Not only did Sasuke pull Kabuto into the dimension though, it almost seemed as though he was showing a flashback directly to him of what had already transpired between Sasuke and Orochimaru. So perhaps not so much taking him to a dimension as he was just sending images into his mind? Odd...
4. Woa. The three-headed monster coming up behind Sasuke almost seemed to be a bijuu too. Three heads? I wonder... well, the Kyuubi did seem to indicate that Sasuke had a beast inside him too. I guess we're seeing it in action here. (This is almost feeling like Blue Dragon now...)
5. Orochimaru's rant about his 'destiny' - I have to say I'm just completely stunned. I had expected Kishimoto to make Orochimaru more of a permanent fixture as a villain always plotting in the background while events were happening all around him. Here we obviously see Orochimaru being completely defeated and humiliated again. And spout some denial as he went down. I feel for the Oro fans.
6. But wait. Kabuto at first thought Orochimaru was dead, but it seems as though Sasuke took him over, instead of vice versa. So are we to assume that Sasuke is now in control of "that" dimension, and he has Orochimaru within his mind? Wonder if that'll be how Sasuke will be able to obtain Orochimaru's own powers (it almost seemed as though Oro just trained him to be better at his own abilities). Hence the possible snake summonings later on...?
So will Orochimaru's mind become like the devil on Sasuke's shoulder, always tempting him to do something the angel on his other shoulder (most likely Naruto) will warn him against doing? Heh.
7. Well, I initially didn't think there was that much of a difference between Naruto's Rasen Shuriken and his usual Rasengan when we saw him hit Kakuzu with it, besides just more power, but here we get a very nice example of what exactly the fuuton properities added to the Rasengan. Complete cellular collapse. I wonder if Kakuzu actually felt any pain at the end, or his body just went completely numb - paralyzed!
8. Uh-oh, another forbidden technique. Figures. Poor Naruto, having all these setbacks one after another even as he's feeling like he's accomplished stuff. Though he HAS defeated an Akatsuki, the jutsu ends up doing some damage to Naruto's own hand as well. Curses!
Well, although Naruto always has the Kyuubi inside him to heal him... but I'm sure Tsunade took that under consideration as well as her own medical jutsus...
9. Heh, Naruto still stubborn as always.
10. Suigetsu eh? I wonder if Sasuke's going to start his own troupe of companions, just 'cause he knows he can't face the Akatsuki all by himself (probably would be suicide.) A team of his own? Hmm... well anyways, as to who Suigetsu is, my bet is on the love child of Zabuza and Haku. Ok, just kidding. I don't think he's related to Kimimaro either, though I did immediately think of him when I saw the back of Suigetsu's head!
Most likely just a new character. Also, my respect for Sasuke keeps going up. He's obviously still his own man, and he isn't so distant that he's not going to consider helping others as well if it works towards his own plan.
FINAL VERDICT: Again I enjoyed the chapter, though I was very disappointed at Orochimaru's sudden downfall. I sometimes wonder if Kishimoto does cater to the fans' demands, because Orochimaru was never really that popular in Japan as a character. So instead of having him being more of a prominent villain, Kishimoto's made him into almost a secondary character. Oh well. However, I have to say the storytelling continues to be very good, with more surprising twists lately than we've had in quite a while. New developments too which are very welcome...
RATING: 5 of 5
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Thanks to Kylara for the RAWs (wee, she's our savior!), and Hisshou, Winterlion for the translations and Des, and Japflap for the awesome scans.
Chapter 345: Ritual!
1. I laughed my head off at the cover. Have you ever seen a more suggestive cover than that one in the entire series? Kishimoto might as well have labelled Orochimaru "PEDOPHILE" on his forehead here and be done with it.
As for the chapter itself. Well, three things jumped out at me at the outset.
2. Orochimaru's 'white snake' blood actually emits a numbing poison? That'd be even more dangerous than Sasori's mechs! No scorpion's tail necessary to sting you into near-death, just breathing the air will do?
Not to mention, it'd take you by surprise if you didn't know about it beforehand.
3. Well can't blame Sasuke for turning off his CS2, he had no clue about the effect of the snake's "bodily fluids" and thought the battle was over. I would have too.
4. And how exactly did Orochimaru trap Sasuke into his "dimension?" Did he just swallow Sasuke up? If you reread the chapter you'll see what I mean: there was no real indication of exactly how Orochimaru mentally forced Sasuke into his morbid soul transfer process.
5. At first, I thought Sasuke's Sharingan had something to do with it, but I suppose he was just activating it so that he could be able to at least fight.
6. Then there was the much-anticipated Itachi and Orochimaru's flashback. It was great to finally see that matter settled: Itachi had indeed defeated and even humiliated Orochimaru, and we see why the ol' snake left the Akatsuki. Though I was stunned to see Itachi gain his victory so... easily. No wonder Orochimaru feared Itachi so much. Sorry Oro fans, but we got the final answer to THAT particular argument.
That is, Orochimaru did indeed lose to Itachi in an actual battle, and it wasn't just that he left to avoid a fight. Thing is, I wonder what led them to having to fight. Was Itachi required to challenge Orochimaru for being the Konoha representative of the Akatsuki?
I also can just see Itachi's 'binding jutsu,' with the stakes and everything, being copied in the video games eventually, for both Itachi and Sasuke!
7. Heh, never thought we'd see Orochimaru's former body again - the first one we saw when he fought Sandaime (and then again when Tsunade punched his nose off.) You know, the young boy who actually didn't look that far removed from Orochimaru - would be creepy if he was actually his son.
Trapped within Orochimaru's dimension, along with Genryussai, this must have meant that these guys were still a part of Orochimaru's mind, despite their "physical deaths." I wonder if he's ever able to "free" these spirits and use them again as followers later on.
8. Then when Kabuto was musing about having to do the soul transfer ritual (not knowing it was already going on - I guess he actually didn't know Sasuke was coming to battle Orochimaru after all)...we got a glimpse of Orochimaru's old hand, still with its Akatsuki ring on it. I have a feeling that will be important to remember at some point.
9. When Kabuto peeked into the chamber to see what was going on, we saw Sasuke standing (no blood on him!) and Orochimaru's white snake body fallen, his eyes looking mightily peculiar. What was up with that? Looked almost as though Sasuke's Sharingan had blinded him.
10. Finally, the suspenseful ending of the chapter was very well done and was more interesting than I had expected it to be. Did Sasuke or Orochimaru win? Good stuff to talk about in front of a water cooler and argue for a week afterward. I actually didn't think Kishimoto would reveal the truth until a long time, but turns out I was wrong on that.
FINAL VERDICT: I did enjoy the chapter a lot. My only minor complaint was that Orochimaru's "soul transfer dimension" was somewhat kiddish-looking and not as intimidating as I would have liked it to look. I mean, I liked how Orochimaru "took over" Genryussai's body much better, you know, the awesome scene where we saw a huge illusion of a gigantic snake rearing up around Genryuusai, hissing, and more than ready to gobble up its unfortunate victim. Oh well, I'm sure Orochimaru's dimension will look better in the anime, though.
RATING: 5 of 5
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REMINDER!!! Please be patient with me, I won't be able to answer replies as quickly as I used to. Feel free to comment, though - I WILL read your posts and reply eventually.
I'm sorry about this, but RL has unfortunately struck in a big way for me, and I have to be away enough that I won't be able to do my Ten Comments anymore in its normal format. Meaning, it won't be as detailed an analysis, rather more just quick thoughts, and no accompanying images.
That's actually how my Comments used to be, back on Naruto Forums, when Part 2 started. Quick enough for me to type in under 30 minutes, because I used to still be in college at the time and didn't have the time for anything more than that back then either.
Though I know it won't be as fun reading as before, I do still have a need to express my thoughts on the most recent Naruto chapters. I'm too much of a Narutard just to keep quiet!
So I'm creating this thread mainly for everybody who would still like to discuss with me about the latest Naruto chapters. As well as just throw out my thoughts about every chapter. And rate 'em. In quick fashion. Rather than doing each chapter in separate threads, this will be a continuing thread, at least until I'm able to return to doing more detailed Ten Comments later on ^^
And I do have a hour to spare, so here goes for both Chapters 345 and 346.
EDIT: I am adding future chapter reviews to this first post, and I'm arranging them from bottom to top. I've also decided to add cover images as well, just to make it easier to find the chapters you want.
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Sorry for the lateness everybody. I know what I said - that I'd do a full review for 350.
But that was before I read the chapter, and well, I think I'm going to save the extra treatment for another chapter - because I really didn't find that much to talk about that I didn't already say something about before, to be honest ^^;
That and I'm still a little bit preoccupied even today unfortunately... so if you guys don't mind I'll just do another short 10 comments for this one, too. (Maybe I'll do the full review next time).
Though it is still my 50th Naruto review here at Mangahelpers, so yay for anniversaries! xD
Ok, on to the chapter itself. Once again Kylara has to get the credit for providing the full chapter for us, Hisshouburaiken for translating, and also thanks to NBST for the Edited Manga as well as everybody else who did one.
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Chapter 350: Ground-Breaking News!
Cover: Uhm, yes. Well, compare the colored spread we got for Naruto to what the Bleach fans got last week (best covers I've seen in forever), and I think it's probably obvious why I didn't feel very enthusiastic about this one.
Not only did it not satisfy by choosing to not reveal the official colors of Sasuke's new comrades yet, it wasn't even a dynamic spread either.
Comment 1:
Actually, I don't blame Naruto for misunderstanding the situation when Sakura came to his door and knocked on it. Granted, they're teammates, but it's usually not the girl who comes knockin'. Hehe, and Sakura's angry reactions is starting to make me think that she's just hiding her feelings, too.
I wonder if Naruto's sleeping habits have changed lately because of his injured arm (since he overslept). That wound sure is taking him a while to heal fully, even with the Kyuubi inside him.
Comment 2:
Jiraiya's back, eh? Somehow I can't help but feel that Kishimoto has seen the Shippuden anime and realized he needed to give us more scenes with both Jiraiya and Tsunade in the manga, too.
Comment 3.
So Naruto and Sakura now knows that Sasuke defeated Orochimaru, if he didn't outright kill him at least.
While not unexpected, I do like that Kishimoto didn't take his sweet time in letting them hear the rumors too, since they certainly seem to have already spread over all the Five Lands.
Comment 4.
Ah, Naruto, Naruto. First he says that he knew Sasuke would free himself all along (if that's true, why the heck did he worry so much, heh) - and then he goes and naively expects Sasuke to be coming home. Sometimes I get the feeling Naruto actually doesn't know Sasuke ALL that well...
Comment 5.
Okay, so we get a change of scenery, and we see Team Sasuke facing down an army of Cursed Seal monsters. And Sasuke asks Karin to apparently scan them all to see if Juugo is one of them...?
Suigetsu would seem to confirm it later that one of her abilities is apparently "finding." Does she have an sixth sense or something that works like the Byakugan?
And man, I guess Cursed Seal monsters weren't that rare after all. I wonder if they were all rejected concepts by Kishimoto while he was inventing the Sound Four, heh. Orochimaru must have had them all locked up because he couldn't keep them all under his watch, and they'd probably bring too much attention to him if they ever did get out of control...
Comment 6.
Oh, man, so Sasuke didn't kill that dude last chapter after all. Though Suigetsu certainly seems to believe it's due to Sasuke being a Leaf Ninja, heh, but I wonder if Kishimoto is just trying to convince us that Naruto and Sakura's former teammate is still on the side of good.
Still... even Leaf Ninja kill, too, don't they? I know I saw Kakashi kill, before. I know the Leaf are more of pacifists than ninja from other countries, partly thanks to Sandaime's teachings, but, well, if Kishimoto is trying to create the impression that Leaf Ninja (ie. Naruto) will somehow be failures if they kill too often, that idea isn't going to be very popular with the fans, I think.
But either way, right there, we probably just got a hint that Naruto is probably never going to be much of a killer in the entire series. Not that I could see him being one anyway.
Comment 7.
Kinda annoying that one second we see a whole army hissing and snarling at Team Sasuke, and the next page they're all on their backsides gasping for breath and mercy. And we didn't get to see any action at all.
I guess the point was just to let us know that Team Sasuke was definitely formidable, but c'mon, Kishimoto, at least one lousy page of exciting action, even if it is of Sasuke and Suigetsu swinging their swords, wouldn't have hurt.
But instead we just got a guy moaning, "too strong," right before he loses consciousness. Yeah, we'll have to take your word for it. Wuss.
Comment 8.
Once again we get a little Suigetsu-Karin "internal conflict" where this time, Karin misdirects Suigetsu in going one way and she goes off the other way with Sasuke. More than ever now, Karin really seems like a spoiled kid to me. I'm not quite liking her as much as I did at the start, even though this scene was still mildly amusing.
What surprises me is Sasuke went along with it without even bothering to call Suigetsu back. He must have been more concerned with finding Juugo at the time.
I think the one thing that really made an impression on me, though, was that Sasuke hasn't changed ALL that much.
'Would you let me go? I can walk fine on my own.' What does that remind you of...? How about the next-to-last panel of this oldie? Heh. Same ol' Sasuke.
Comment 9.
Hmmm, so we get our first real look at Juugo's full face. He seems to me more like a psychotic punk than anything else. You guys know something though? It'd be interesting if he actually turned out to be the reverse of that, and that he was actually a very nice guy who wouldn't even hurt a bug. But having been locked up for so long probably put his "rage illness" in overtime.
Comment 10.
So, big battle coming up between Sasuke and Juugo next chapter? I hope we'll get to see some REAL action this time, unlike when they were fighting the monsters. Well, I'd like to see Juugo actually put a scare in Sasuke. I sort of think the biggest reason Sasuke wanted Juugo is for his fighting prowess, so...
FINAL VERDICT: Okay, hate to say this, but this wasn't the most memorable chapter ever. I think Kishimoto is back to his old habits of sort of slowing down the pace again. But a chapter that gave me this much trouble finding something to talk about, isn't a particularly great one at all. Just a lead-in to the next chapter, a filler, though I am glad Naruto and Sakura found out about Sasuke's escape, and that we finally got to the final member of Team Sasuke. So... a 4 it is this time.
RATING: 4 of 5
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Once again, Kylara has come to our rescue here with the RAW. Consider yourself lucky we have *such* a fantastic girl as her hanging out here who's willing to spend some of her valuable time scanning her mags in order to help us out! Thanks also to Hisshou for his terrific translation and Dynamic Dragon for his MQ scan, and Japflap for continuing to do their terrific HQs!
Chapter 349: North Base!
Comment 1:
Okay, so I get the North Hideout's supposed to be full of terrifying, twisted human experiments due to it being Orochimaru's primary laboratory.
What I don't get is why Karin seemed so disgusted when talking about the "horrible, unnatural monsters." I mean, as one of Orochimaru's "dedicated followers," she was likely to have a hand in some of these creations, too! Yes, she could just have been nervous about the inevitable riot that would take place there shortly, but I still had the feeling she was somehow disgusted with the place. Which did strike me as kinda odd. Maybe she just wanted to try to find a little more romantic place for her and Sasuke to be, heh.
Comment 2:
Ah, so we get the answer to Juugo's cryptic ramblings at the end of the last chapter - he was thinking of which he'd rather want to kill right now, a guy or a girl. Still kinda twisted, but definitely not as bad as we all thought he was talking about at first!
Comment 3.
Suigetsu sure likes to take a lot of breaks to sip some water (assuming that's what it is). Karin accused him of being tired a lot due to carrying Zabuza's blade around. Heh, well, it'll build up his stamina with time, I guess. I'm guessing he wasn't too big on endurance before.
I'm kinda curious about whether he has to drink a lot of water in order to replenish himself or not. He also seemed to be just fine when walking on water or close to it (as on the bridge), but not on land. Hmm.
Either way, I don't get the sense he's really a "slacker" as Karin called him. It's almost as though he *has* to stop to rest one way or another. Wonder how Sasuke feels about that slowing down the progress - but he naturally hasn't said much about it to this point.
Comment 4.
Karin, incidentally, seems *really* flaky right now. She's obviously trying hard to hook up with Sasuke but she still seems very embarrassed if her feelings are in any way suspected or revealed to Suigetsu. Which all does seem to imply that she's truthfully romantically interested in Sasuke, whether it's because she's attracted to power or just a pretty boy... or both, I guess!
I can't help but wonder if she's determinely trying to act like an amateur at hiding her feelings or she has an ulterior motive in seeming so, though. I think that I'd like for the latter to be true - because if Karin's just being a great actress right now instead of being so obvious, then it'd only add to the drama and the story even more.
Unfortunately I don't think that's the case here. She really is nuts about him - or just plain nuts!
Comment 5.
Good! Now we get the answer to why Suigetsu went along with Sasuke: he has his own agenda, too. Maybe they're both out for revenge. I like that our questions were answered pretty early on.
Something tells me Suigetsu will have his own back-story that'll be revealed pretty soon.
Comment 6.
I absolutely loved the subtle humor in the page where Suigetsu accused Juugo of being crazy of coming to Orochimaru "under his own will," and Sasuke looking over to him and seeming a little put off by that comment. Priceless stuff.
Would have totally rocked too if Suigetsu actually knew that Sasuke did the same thing, but wanted to egg him on anyway.
Comment 7.
So Juugo, somebody who seemingly can't control his powerful "killing intent," is, basically, the origin of the Cursed Seal. Excellent!
One of the things I was so nervous about after Orochimaru's defeat was that Kishimoto would just totally skim over the whole history of the Cursed Seals and how their power operated, but looks like we're going to get our answers on all that, too. Or maybe we already did with this chapter.
It would also explain why Orochimaru couldn't take away Sasuke's Cursed Seal during his fight with him - he actually didn't have any power over it after all.
Think vampires - Orochimaru's had Juugo's blood - or enzymes if you want to get detailed - on his fangs, he went to bite Sasuke's neck, the venom bestowed the Seal on his victim, and the Seal changed Sasuke into another Juugo. Or would have.
Without taking the proper methods to "stop" the Seal from overtaking his body, it would have killed him or made him incapable of controlling himself, and maybe that's what Tayuya meant by that it would enslave him to Orochimaru - just like Juugo right now. Well, or maybe most victims.
Comment 8.
I was really afraid when I saw the dude that was tearing up the place, thinking at first that this guy was Juugo. I was like, hadn't we already seen this guy before? Remember Jiroubou of the Sound Four? Yeah, this guy seemed like his twin brother or something.
If he HAD turned out to be Juugo, I would have had serious doubts about Kishimoto's creativity - he really would have seemed like he was running out of character designs. I needn't have worried.
Must have been Kishimoto wanting to psych the readers out a little bit. He got me.
Comment 9.
I actually didn't expect Sasuke to be able to take care of "Jiroubou #2" in a single sword stroke. Looks like Karin shouldn't have worried either!
Comment 10.
So, Juugo is going to kill a girl if one opens the door eh? Heh, I predict already we're going to get a little scary moment where it seems like Karin is gonna open the door next chapter. Mark my words.
Juugo's face being revealed above the nose almost makes me think he could be related somehow to the Akatsuki leader. He seems to have the same hair and facial shape. Eyes of course are different - no double pupils - but I can't help but think Kishimoto decided to go with a different design for the Leader altogether and used another design he had in mind for him for Juugo instead. Guess we'll see.
FINAL VERDICT: Another very good chapter, though a bit too much on the talky side and not enough action, so I'm going to have to give it less than a 5 rating. Lots of answers though which made me happy.
RATING: 4.5 of 5
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Thanks to Kylara for the RAW again! And Hisshou for his translation and Cez & Kokotas for their great MQ Edited Manga.
Chapter 348: The Next One!
Cover: Suigetsu.
Seems like Kishimoto's trying to do something a little different with him here, eh? Not smiling so much here - he's almost solemn. Almost seems as though he's saying a prayer, isn't he?
Karin's probably going to be on the next chapter cover.
Comment 1:
Suigetsu shoots the question that's been on my mind the last two weeks. What exactly is Sasuke up to?
Sasuke didn't really give us a definite answer though, but he did say that he needed a full platoon to pull off the plan he had in mind effectively. So, why Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo? Sasuke here says he had selected them all very long ago for their particular abilities.
I couldn't help but think of Shikamaru; he's somebody else who would also think that far ahead - remember how he had come up with a plan in order for his team to be able to defeat Hidan and Kakuzu? Even though Ino and Chouji weren't as useful as Kakashi was in the end, they did each do their part for him.
So is Sasuke developing Shikamaru tendencies? Heh. Well, maybe not all the way. Shikamaru could probably come up with a plan using anybody he had around him. Sasuke might have had to think very carefully about which shinobi to choose because he couldn't do likewise...
Comment 2:
Suigetsu also brings up why he definitely wouldn't like Karin: they were on opposite sides of the fence as far as their feelings about Orochimaru were concerned.
Whereas Suigetsu seemed to bear some sort of grudge against his former captor for having experimented and imprisoned him for so long, Karin apparently is devoted to Orochimaru.
But she's maybe not SO devoted to Orochimaru as he thinks... but I'll get to that in a bit.
Comment 3.
So what are Karin's "unique abilities" that made Sasuke want her on his team so much?
Suigetsu's agreement with Sasuke by saying "oh yeah, she's unique, I'll give her that," really makes me wonder. Especially coming from him...
Comment 4.
Boy, Orochimaru sure liked having prisoners. I wonder how well he took care of them...
Makes me wonder if that's how Karin and Suigetsu fell into his clutches as well, both originally prisoners.
I had to laugh when one of the prisoners thought that the only reason Sasuke came there was to free them.
But man, how much time exactly went by since Sasuke defeated Orochimaru? It didn't take long for the rumors to spread all over? I guess Sasuke and Suigetsu *had* been walking around, though... must have been a week or so.
Comment 5.
Karin's first appearance was kinda eye-opening wasn't it? I loved that she seemed so accusing at the start. "I knew it!" Guess that's the "shitty attitude" Suigetsu mentioned earlier - she definitely seems "bossy."
I have a hard time deciding what the appropriate nickname for her would be ... Glasses? Legs? Spiky? Nerd? Heh.
Although I think I know what all the SasuNaru fans would probably call her, but I want to keep this review PG-rated...
Anyway, she definitely has a different look from the other female kunoichi in the series. Closest would be Kurenai, but she definitely doesn't seem as warm...
I can't help but think of her being a black-haired, female version of Kabuto, though. Heh, so now, not only does Sasuke have a mini-Kisame on his side, he also has a female Kabuto? Wonder if she can heal at all...
Comment 6.
Kishimoto's strength of dialogue writing is really shining through here. We're already becoming accustomed to Suigetsu after only a span of two chapters, and we's starting to get a sense of who he is and how he thinks.
When Sasuke tells him to go free the prisoners, Suigetsu was all like, "still acting like the boss, eh?" He seems somewhat macho in that he doesn't want Sasuke to "look down" on him so he's constantly reminding Sasuke that he doesn't consider him the "boss."
Comment 7.
And that's not even all. When Suigetsu goes to free the prisoners, he told them to spread the word that Sasuke was bringing "peace and safety to the world." He might as well be like, "Sasuke's fighting for Truth, Justice, and the Konoha Way!!!"
Seems like Suigetsu's got a twisted sense of humor. He knew that'd bother Sasuke. I have a feeling Suigetsu's popularity is going to just rise after this chapter. He's definitely personable.
Comment 8.
Back to Sasuke and Karin. Initially Karin was all adamant and refusing to go, then suddenly she changed her mind and "warmed up to Sasuke" as only a fangirl can.
But.... is she so much a Sasuke fangirl, or was she just trying to play him?
I think when the realization hit her that Sasuke did indeed defeat Orochimaru, then her devotion to her former master became obscure. And she decided to go over to Sasuke's side then, and that was when she started putting the moves on.
So she might not be *THAT* lovestruck with Sasuke, but is just trying to charm him into thinking that she could be somebody he can trust. I have a feeling she's "faking" most of it, though I do think she's genuinely attracted to him either way.
Whatever the case, I can imagine this happening in real life, so I have no problem with it. As for everybody who complains, "ugh, not another Sasuke fangirl!" Well - Sasuke was established early on as being a girl magnet, so I actually think Kishimoto is just saying here that Sasuke's "still got it," ya know? We haven't had too many antics lately where girls are all crazy over Sasuke, because he's been nowhere to be seen.
Kishimoto, I believe, just wants to re-establish that part about Sasuke in Part 2 that we already knew from Part 1. So I'm totally fine with it. It also brings up all kinds of interesting drama later on for whenever Sakura or Ino might run into Karin.
Comment 9.
So Kishimoto must have liked the Hulk movie, maybe? Not only can Suigetsu transform to water, he can also control his body parts to grow bigger, too? I guess that's not so surprising, though... I mean, he obviously CAN control his body molecules to begin with...
Makes him more interesting than just a "water guy" in my book, though, so I'm glad.
Comment 10.
SO, Juugo. Uh-oh. He must have been involved in a lot of bathroom scandals while in prison...
Creepy is all I can say. But I can see a lot of people making a *LOT* of jokes as a result of what he said this page... it's definitely got people talking. So all I can say is that Kishimoto did his magic again. Another interesting character coming up, definitely...
FINAL VERDICT: Awesome chapter, I think. 'Team Sasuke' definitely seems to be having a lot of interesting characters, Suigetsu is pretty cool, and Karin is an intriguing character to me. The dialogue, art, and the overall story in this one was top notch.
RATING: 5 of 5
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Sorry guys, I wasn't able to even access MH all week, so I just now saw everybody's comments! xD
I'm glad that some of you guys don't seem to mind the downgraded version of my reviews. =) I'll try to reply with more of my thoughts to everybody's posts later on but right now let me just get my thoughts on 347 out ^^
Chapter 347: Side Trip!!
1. Juugo from the North Base? Karin from the South Base? Aha, so Sasuke IS trying to form a group... for what purpose? Probably just to make the odds against the Akatsuki a little better?
In response to Iwanin's post, I certainly hope it's a little more interesting than just having a Rock nin, Wind nin, etc. to go with Suigetsu being a Water nin. I already got my fill of "elemental buddies" from watching the Ghost Rider movie! xD
2. So, how does Suigetsu look like? Got our answer to that one here. Long hair, intense eyes, and the teeth of a piranha.
I guess you could call my first impression pretty much neutral on his design, it wasn't until later in the story I started to appreciate it a little better.
3. Suigetsu's dislike of Juugo and Karin seems to show that he wasn't expecting Sasuke to choose these two in particular. Could it be that there are more others around that Sasuke COULD have picked to go with him? I suppose Orochimaru probably had a lot of prisoners...
You know, what is the nature of Suigetsu's dislike of the others, though? Is it because Suigetsu's disgusted by their violent natures? This is what I first thought when he seemed said here "what does that say about you Sasuke that you picked them..."
But I think the opposite is probably true - Suigetsu might not like them because he considers them "weak and emotional" possibly. Still, I believe Sasuke doesn't care too much about their personalities as long as they're all *powerful* enough to be able to face down the Akatsuki. Guess we'll see.
4. Sasuke's bossy attitude amused me as much as it seemed to irrirate Suigetsu. That might be something that might get Sasuke in trouble later on.
Suigetsu is another "God of Flash," eh? Y'know, I think if a guy in the nude was right behind me, I mean, RIGHT there, I think my heart would probably have skipped a beat... whether I killed Orochimaru or not. Sasuke must have had ice in his veins...
5. Oh wow, Zabuza is actually mentioned in this chapter as Suigetsu's "senior". Whaddaya know? Maybe my theory of Suigetsu being the love child of Zabuza and Haku wasn't that far off after all! Ha!
Makes me think Suigetsu could possibly be from the Momochi clan. Of course, we don't know just how many clans in the Water Country exhibit such distinguishing features as razor-sharp teeth. There could be more clans and they could all be half-fish!
Whatever the case, here's a little quick drawing I did to show the differences between Suigetsu and Zabuza, heh.
Originally posted on my DeviantArt. =)
6. Hah, so Konohamaru's finally learned Kage Bunshin? And what does he use it for? What else?
You guys probably remember that Naruto was able to beat Konohamaru's instructor, Ebisu, by using Mass Kage Bunshin and then turning them all into naked girls hugging the stuffings out of him.
So I'm really not surprised at all that Konohamaru was inspired enough to do a similar trick. "Double Knockout Girls!"
7. But who the hell inspired Konohamaru to do "Double Knockout Guys!???"
I blame the yaoi fangirls. One of them must have gotten into the series and bribed him into doing it!! (LoL @ Sakura's reaction - she's been exposed as a pervert after all!)
(Seriously, this chapter almost seemed like Kishimoto took a break and just let a fan write the plot instead of him!)
Ah well, hope you fangirls enjoyed the eye candy!
8. The Great Naruto Bridge! Actually didn't expect Kishimoto to EVER return to the Land of the Waves at all. It's a nice homage to the first part - the Zabuza arc was what got many of us really loving Naruto - and it's pretty amusing to have seen Sasuke's reaction to the name of the bridge. Just as I would've imagined, though, he just said "hmph."
Still, again, it feels as though a fan was writing the plot for this chapter.
9. THE RETURN OF ZABUZA'S BLADE!!! Awesome. And it's not rusty eh?
I loved Zabuza as a bad guy, and I don't believe Suigetsu will be as cool as him, but what the heck. It sure brings back the good memories.
Funny though to see Suigetsu struggle to just hold it - I wonder how good he'll actually be with it, though, considering he probably hasn't been able to train with a similar sword for years, trapped in that container as he was? Maybe he hadn't been a prisoner for so many years as Sasuke, though...
Seems like Suigetsu's definitely from Kirigakure, though, if he's been training to try to become one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
10. So who's this at the end of the chapter? Karin? Definitely a female, though...
Looks like we're going to have a Team Sasuke - so I definitely predict a confrontation between Team 7 and Team Sasuke at some point.
FINAL VERDICT: This was a surprising chapter. As I said, it almost seemed like a fan wrote the plot for the chapter. It was also disorienting how Sasuke and Suigetsu just seemed to immediately move from Orochimaru's hideout to the Water Country, without much pretense. The Konohamaru antic also seemed to be out of place - not saying that Kishimoto shouldn't have included something like that, but he probably should just have saved that for another occasion. This chapter would have been better if it just concentrated on Sasuke and Suigetsu all the way through (and maybe already introduced one of the other two eventual companions). I AM curious to see where all this leads to...
RATING: 4 of 5
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Chapter 346: The Secret of the New Jutsu!!
1. Another Sasuke cover? Kishimoto's obviously making up for lost time - though it's a rather cool cover, and I'm glad that there's still hints that Sasuke may be summoning snakes himself at a later point. This makes me wonder, though, just what will be Sakura's reaction when she finds out her own animals will probably be slugs... poor girl!
But then again, she'd probably prefer slugs to snakes anyway. These reptiles tend to scare girls, don't they?
2. Woah, Sasuke actually pulled Kabuto into Orochimaru's dimension with his own Sharingan? It seems as though the Sharingan must have that ability as well - and Orochimaru must have possessed it through his own eyes, perhaps? Or mouth... >.>
I wonder if we'll ever find out if Sasuke has his own dimension where he's able to toy with his opponent's minds, like Itachi's (when he trapped the Kakashi clone.) Guess we'll find out in time, but I think he does. Wonder if Kakashi does though...
3. Not only did Sasuke pull Kabuto into the dimension though, it almost seemed as though he was showing a flashback directly to him of what had already transpired between Sasuke and Orochimaru. So perhaps not so much taking him to a dimension as he was just sending images into his mind? Odd...
4. Woa. The three-headed monster coming up behind Sasuke almost seemed to be a bijuu too. Three heads? I wonder... well, the Kyuubi did seem to indicate that Sasuke had a beast inside him too. I guess we're seeing it in action here. (This is almost feeling like Blue Dragon now...)
5. Orochimaru's rant about his 'destiny' - I have to say I'm just completely stunned. I had expected Kishimoto to make Orochimaru more of a permanent fixture as a villain always plotting in the background while events were happening all around him. Here we obviously see Orochimaru being completely defeated and humiliated again. And spout some denial as he went down. I feel for the Oro fans.
6. But wait. Kabuto at first thought Orochimaru was dead, but it seems as though Sasuke took him over, instead of vice versa. So are we to assume that Sasuke is now in control of "that" dimension, and he has Orochimaru within his mind? Wonder if that'll be how Sasuke will be able to obtain Orochimaru's own powers (it almost seemed as though Oro just trained him to be better at his own abilities). Hence the possible snake summonings later on...?
So will Orochimaru's mind become like the devil on Sasuke's shoulder, always tempting him to do something the angel on his other shoulder (most likely Naruto) will warn him against doing? Heh.
7. Well, I initially didn't think there was that much of a difference between Naruto's Rasen Shuriken and his usual Rasengan when we saw him hit Kakuzu with it, besides just more power, but here we get a very nice example of what exactly the fuuton properities added to the Rasengan. Complete cellular collapse. I wonder if Kakuzu actually felt any pain at the end, or his body just went completely numb - paralyzed!
8. Uh-oh, another forbidden technique. Figures. Poor Naruto, having all these setbacks one after another even as he's feeling like he's accomplished stuff. Though he HAS defeated an Akatsuki, the jutsu ends up doing some damage to Naruto's own hand as well. Curses!
Well, although Naruto always has the Kyuubi inside him to heal him... but I'm sure Tsunade took that under consideration as well as her own medical jutsus...
9. Heh, Naruto still stubborn as always.
10. Suigetsu eh? I wonder if Sasuke's going to start his own troupe of companions, just 'cause he knows he can't face the Akatsuki all by himself (probably would be suicide.) A team of his own? Hmm... well anyways, as to who Suigetsu is, my bet is on the love child of Zabuza and Haku. Ok, just kidding. I don't think he's related to Kimimaro either, though I did immediately think of him when I saw the back of Suigetsu's head!
Most likely just a new character. Also, my respect for Sasuke keeps going up. He's obviously still his own man, and he isn't so distant that he's not going to consider helping others as well if it works towards his own plan.
FINAL VERDICT: Again I enjoyed the chapter, though I was very disappointed at Orochimaru's sudden downfall. I sometimes wonder if Kishimoto does cater to the fans' demands, because Orochimaru was never really that popular in Japan as a character. So instead of having him being more of a prominent villain, Kishimoto's made him into almost a secondary character. Oh well. However, I have to say the storytelling continues to be very good, with more surprising twists lately than we've had in quite a while. New developments too which are very welcome...
RATING: 5 of 5
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Thanks to Kylara for the RAWs (wee, she's our savior!), and Hisshou, Winterlion for the translations and Des, and Japflap for the awesome scans.
Chapter 345: Ritual!
1. I laughed my head off at the cover. Have you ever seen a more suggestive cover than that one in the entire series? Kishimoto might as well have labelled Orochimaru "PEDOPHILE" on his forehead here and be done with it.
As for the chapter itself. Well, three things jumped out at me at the outset.
2. Orochimaru's 'white snake' blood actually emits a numbing poison? That'd be even more dangerous than Sasori's mechs! No scorpion's tail necessary to sting you into near-death, just breathing the air will do?
Not to mention, it'd take you by surprise if you didn't know about it beforehand.
3. Well can't blame Sasuke for turning off his CS2, he had no clue about the effect of the snake's "bodily fluids" and thought the battle was over. I would have too.
4. And how exactly did Orochimaru trap Sasuke into his "dimension?" Did he just swallow Sasuke up? If you reread the chapter you'll see what I mean: there was no real indication of exactly how Orochimaru mentally forced Sasuke into his morbid soul transfer process.
5. At first, I thought Sasuke's Sharingan had something to do with it, but I suppose he was just activating it so that he could be able to at least fight.
6. Then there was the much-anticipated Itachi and Orochimaru's flashback. It was great to finally see that matter settled: Itachi had indeed defeated and even humiliated Orochimaru, and we see why the ol' snake left the Akatsuki. Though I was stunned to see Itachi gain his victory so... easily. No wonder Orochimaru feared Itachi so much. Sorry Oro fans, but we got the final answer to THAT particular argument.
That is, Orochimaru did indeed lose to Itachi in an actual battle, and it wasn't just that he left to avoid a fight. Thing is, I wonder what led them to having to fight. Was Itachi required to challenge Orochimaru for being the Konoha representative of the Akatsuki?
I also can just see Itachi's 'binding jutsu,' with the stakes and everything, being copied in the video games eventually, for both Itachi and Sasuke!
7. Heh, never thought we'd see Orochimaru's former body again - the first one we saw when he fought Sandaime (and then again when Tsunade punched his nose off.) You know, the young boy who actually didn't look that far removed from Orochimaru - would be creepy if he was actually his son.
Trapped within Orochimaru's dimension, along with Genryussai, this must have meant that these guys were still a part of Orochimaru's mind, despite their "physical deaths." I wonder if he's ever able to "free" these spirits and use them again as followers later on.
8. Then when Kabuto was musing about having to do the soul transfer ritual (not knowing it was already going on - I guess he actually didn't know Sasuke was coming to battle Orochimaru after all)...we got a glimpse of Orochimaru's old hand, still with its Akatsuki ring on it. I have a feeling that will be important to remember at some point.
9. When Kabuto peeked into the chamber to see what was going on, we saw Sasuke standing (no blood on him!) and Orochimaru's white snake body fallen, his eyes looking mightily peculiar. What was up with that? Looked almost as though Sasuke's Sharingan had blinded him.
10. Finally, the suspenseful ending of the chapter was very well done and was more interesting than I had expected it to be. Did Sasuke or Orochimaru win? Good stuff to talk about in front of a water cooler and argue for a week afterward. I actually didn't think Kishimoto would reveal the truth until a long time, but turns out I was wrong on that.
FINAL VERDICT: I did enjoy the chapter a lot. My only minor complaint was that Orochimaru's "soul transfer dimension" was somewhat kiddish-looking and not as intimidating as I would have liked it to look. I mean, I liked how Orochimaru "took over" Genryussai's body much better, you know, the awesome scene where we saw a huge illusion of a gigantic snake rearing up around Genryuusai, hissing, and more than ready to gobble up its unfortunate victim. Oh well, I'm sure Orochimaru's dimension will look better in the anime, though.
RATING: 5 of 5
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REMINDER!!! Please be patient with me, I won't be able to answer replies as quickly as I used to. Feel free to comment, though - I WILL read your posts and reply eventually.
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