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Ha, caught you off guard!!!
I've got some good news - but mostly bad news, guys. First, as you guys can plainly see, I wrote a review earlier than I had anticipated. That's the good news, I guess.
Now the cause is the bad news, in the form of an unexpected and unwelcome letter I got this morning. I'm possibly going to lose cable for a week. Just an oversight on my part this month.
That means I had to release a quick review just so I didn't disappoint anybody here - hence why I decided to forego my trip to town until tomorrow and stayed home. Even so, this review is going to be at best a throwback to the older reviews I used to do - no images, brief summaries of my thoughts, and well, it probably won't last through your entire meal. >.<;
I have no clue if I will be able to write a review next weekend at this point, either. May be very late - Monday at the latest, if I really do lose my internet. I'm sorry, guys. :/
EDIT: Good news! I won't lose my internet. Next review should be in its proper format and be posted one or two days after the chapter comes out. Whew!
Well, seeing as I don't even know if my internet will actually last through the writing of this review, I better jot out my thoughts quickly. Can't forget the credits, though! Thanks to VASSiLi and Agent007 for the RAWs, cnet128 and cloneofsnake for their translations, and Franky-House for a well-done Edited Manga of this chapter.
As always comment on anything you might like to - and well, I don't know if I can get back to you ASAP this week, but you can be sure I'll read everything when I'm able to!
If I happen to not lose my internet, I'll edit this post later to add some much-needed images. For now, though, I'll just link to pages hosted by the very convenient onemanga.com website - hope no one minds ^^;
* * * Gold Knight's Ten Comments on Naruto Chapter 441: Rasen Shuriken VS Shinra Tensei! * * *
0. Sunny Personality? First, the cover. This week, we get a nice one of Hinata.
Kishimoto seems to be already getting underway with his new covers for all his characters. Remember, Databook 3 came and went, and due to that he'll need new images of everybody for his next Databook.
Thus, we get Hinata's first cover since Chapter 297. It's not really that much different a picture - we get a little more frontal profile, and instead of staring at her namesake, the sun (I'd think that'd cause eyestrain for somebody with the Byakugan!), this time she's looking directly at the reader and appearing to be a little more confident in herself by obviously smiling more.
EDIT: Oops! I just remembered Hinata had a cover in Chapter 437, too. Ah well... blame that on the review being rushed.
[Quick trivia: The meaning of both Hyuuga (日向) and Hinata (ヒナタ) is "being in a sunny place." For that reason, Kishimoto will probably always portray Hinata in a very peaceful, well-lit outdoorsy environment in his covers...]
She's almost even more willing to engage in a conversation. (Though, I suppose, she's mostly painfully shy around Naruto, but she always seemed a bit timid towards everybody else, too.)
Perhaps Kishimoto is saying here that Hinata has finally lost some of her mousy personality since her confrontation with Pain? She sure turned into a tiger at that moment - Neji probably wouldn't have recognized her. It's unlikely she'll completely stop being so shy, though, but I'd certainly hope she does... I think for her, it holds back her potential as a character quite a lot.
1. Runnin' Out of Gas. Or chakra, if you prefer. Check out the first and second pages, and I'm sure you'll agree with me Nagato has seen far better days! At least his "moon" is collapsing into the same crater it left behind instead of somewhere else. One less potential mess to worry about for the environ-nins.
Some of my readers have commented that they didn't mind Nagato's design (which I had harshly criticized a couple of weeks ago) because it showed that even a powerful adversary as he could have serious drawbacks from using their incredible powers, which is part of what makes the story feel so "realistic." On that point, I'll have to agree. It does make for a rather nice touch, even though I still feel his basic look wasn't very original.
Still, I'm reminded of American comics, though. Some people ridicule Superman because he's pretty much indestructible with very few weaknesses, these being, of course, kryptonite, and also magic. Compare that to a more popular character, Spider-Man, who despite his spectacular strength and amazing senses (sorry, couldn't resist), is still far easily more bruised and caught in unfortunate circumstances than Supes. Thus, his stories are vastly more constantly interesting. The same holds true for Batman, who doesn't even have any superpowers whatsoever, yet he remains enormously popular. Or rather, that's exactly why.
When I used to design my own superheroes as a kid, I'd always have to struggle with that most basic of concepts: what could be the chinks in their armor? I'd always make my characters far too overpowered, so my comics were never that particularly believable. Bah.
Kishimoto, however, seems to have a knack for adding that particular element to his characters, though - even going one step farther as to give his antagonists problems, too! Unlike Bleach where all Tite Kubo's characters seem to always be engaged in an "arm-wrestling" contest of strength and techniques, nothing much else, Naruto does give you more flawed characters, which in the end make them all feel more indisputably human.
However! I gotta say, if Nagato coughing up blood and looking so skeletal is more due to some kind of incurable disease he has instead of simply just expending too much chakra, that's getting a bit old. That's already been done for Kimimaro and Itachi. Give Naruto some credit here, please!
2. So Why Is He In Sage Mode Already? Refer to this page for this comment, please.
I was hoping that Kishimoto would explain why Naruto was already in Sage Mode this chapter, but apparently he didn't. Now, I have a huge problem with this.
Namely being, how in the name of Minato's golden locks did Naruto manage to enter that state without a clone to help him along? Kishimoto even showed here that the clone back at Myobokuzan indeed had vanished when Naruto became Kyuubified.
The only thing I can think of is that the "experience" Naruto then accumulated from that clone only occured after he had de-Kyuubified. Thus, Sage Mode. Still, Kishimoto should have explained it - he left it unsaid which is inexcusable at this point, as the transformation left the readers far too confused.
Some people last week also wondered aloud how Naruto came out of Kyuubi mode apparently unscathed, unlike when Sakura had to heal him immediately after his battle with Orochimaru at the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. While I can't take credit for this theory, I agree with it basically as it makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks to Ryodraco for posting it:
3. That's Some Hiding Place! (Check this page.)
Another thing that confused me terribly is how could have one of Katsuya's little slugs have possibly survived being caught up in the Kyuubi's blistering aura?
Granted, Naruto's clothes doesn't seem to burn away whenever he becomes Kyuubified, which is a bit weird as his skin does fly apart like burnt paper. Internal combustion, I guess?
However, the cape Naruto wore apparently didn't escape the destruction caused by the instantaneous transformation. Neomaster121 pointed out last week that it was cut in half during this scene. (Look at the third panel closely.) But that's not the same as being burnt...
So the slug must have tucked itself away in a safe spot inside Naruto's clothes while the Kyuubi went on his rampage. We did know that from another slug's observation in a previous chapter that somehow a part of Katsuya was still with Naruto, so it shouldn't have been a surprise...
Regardless, that the slug still survived still seems more than a bit odd to me... especially considering the general susceptibility of these creatures to desiccation, or basically drying up if they don't retreat to more dank spots. I doubt Naruto's clothes really would have counted in this case, would it...?
4. I Did Wha...? One thing strikes me as odd in this page.
Technically, would Naruto have actually asked what had caused the smoke where Konohagakure used to be, when he himself saw the enormous devastation that Pain caused there?
Granted, yes, Naruto had a bit to do with it as the Kyuubi, and perhaps he turned his head to worry about the unknown possible consequences of his temperamental flare-up. But he didn't even seem to think about himself being the reason at first.
Also, didn't Naruto already consider Hinata to be dead? Wouldn't that be the reason he went Kyuubified? So, why is he even worrying at this point about whether he destroyed her or not? Did he still have some hope that Hinata was still alive, even now?
Anyway, okay, so the slug was apparently incorporated into the story to ease Naruto's worries, and perhaps to give him an "out" so that he could continue battling Pain instead of retreating out of concern for the village. But regardless, I think Kishimoto could have done a better job writing-wise here.
For instance, Naruto was already wrapped up in a conflict with Pain anyway - and Nagato's certainly dead determined to capture the Kyuubi. Naruto going back to the village at this point instead of attempting to finish off Nagato would have been foolish, anyway.
Also, Naruto being unsure about the condition of his village and people would have given the story a bit added tension. Now that he knows they're okay, he's going to take a different approach towards dealing with Nagato - one I hate to predict wouldn't be quite so dramatic. Maybe it's better for the overall story development, but still... a bit disappointing, somehow. >.>
5. Team Gai's Arrival. Another thing that doesn't make sense to me.
How the hell did Team Gai make it to Hinata before Sakura? They were deep in the forest, especially if they had talked to Gamabunta who was blown far away, yet still made it before Sakura, who had been right where Hinata had previously been when she was watching Naruto?
((EDIT: T.D.A pointed out Sakura wasn't at the same place Hinata used to be, I got confused because the same Hyuuga guy that Hinata was with looked like the Hyuuga guy Sakura was with. Thanks for the correction. My point still stands though, Sakura was closer than Team Gai and saw the destruction that took place when Gai and his kids weren't even close enough to know what the heck happened.))
Sakura was even getting ready to get to go after her! Either she's extremely slow, or she decided that Yamato was more important (on that page, she did seem to have a conflict of what to do next), or she didn't even know where the first place was to look (possibly the case, as the Hyuuga who was with her couldn't move.)
I had previously predicted Team Gai would make it to Nagato before Naruto. Now that apparently won't be the case, and yes, as we'd see, Naruto had something even better than the Byakugan to track Nagato down. Still, bleh. I was hoping for a better reason for bringing Team Gai into the story than merely being Hinata's saviors.
And Sakura not making it there first... that's a bit of a shock to me. Could it be that she doesn't have much chakra left to be able to heal Hinata properly anyway (she did spend quite a lot of time in the hospitals) so she decided she'd be more useful doing something else?
P.S. One more thing concerning this page, I did like how Naruto suddenly went from boo-hoo mode to time-to-get-serious mode, and stared at Pain. Naruto's "toad eyes" might just be starting to grow on me, but they were quite effective here.
6. Who Did You Just Mention!?? Nuh-uh, Nagato. Baaaad move!
Last thing you wanna do, genius, is to remind Naruto of a certain Uchiha teammate! Even worse is to even instigate to our kid that there's no hope of saving Sasuke. Now Naruto is gonna be even more determined to whip Pain silly, just to prove him flat out wrong.
Another funny thing. Pain is really starting to come off, to me, as somebody who never really "grew up" at all. He's got an eternal grudge with mankind, that's for certain, and as I've mentioned in a previous review, a defeatist attitude that almost seems to defy all logic. For that reason, he's now starting to seem to me like a little child that kept throwing temper tantrums just because he didn't get what he wanted.
"I'm so misunderstood! Well, I'll make you understand my pain!"
He claimed that "pain" is what made him "grow up" but rather, I think his growth, instead, has been extremely stunted. He can't move forward, and basically, it seems that he can't do anything but to dwell on what happened to him. Essentially, he's haunted by his past, and ironically, determined to make the same thing happen again and again to other people.
Maybe Naruto will snap him out of it, but I really don't foresee a good end for Pain at all.
7. Who Needs Shikamaru...? Well, Naruto figured it out himself in the end. Cool.
Guess Jiraiya's hints helped in the end. "The real one isn't with them," ... of course, I don't know if there's any way that Naruto couldn't have suspected after fighting Pain, even without the hint.
It was obvious all the bodies had a singular mind simply by how they coordinated their movements, and I don't think it would have taken a genius like either Shikamaru or Kakashi to finally realize there was one more body hidden in the shadows.
Unfortunately, I think it was a bit of a mistake for Naruto to reveal that he knew. You could tell by Pain's immediate reaction that he wasn't pleased at all, and now he was going to fight this battle to the end, no matter what, knowing that his own real body was now at stake, too.
So, no chance of any talk forthcoming thanks to that.
((EDIT: Well, dangit. Naruto didn't figure it out on his own. I was reminded in a conversation with a friend that the snail on Naruto's shoulder told him back in Chapter 435. I'm going to have to reread this arc before posting my next review, I'm becoming old and starting to forget things quicker!))
8. Ouch! Can I just say, this page made me crack up?
Talk about being owned! Haven't chuckled like that at somebody's mishap since Kabuto's own embarrassing moment.
Maybe Nagato knew he was running short on chakra and decided to try to actually lock horns with Naruto (in Sage Mode no less) instead of using any more techniques, but that would seem to be a pretty bad mistake on his end!
Still, a bit stupid and way too convenient for Naruto to do what he wanted to, not unlike how Naruto defeated another Akatsuki, Kakuzu, in an earlier battle. And this time, senility can't be blamed. Although, yes, maybe Nagato just being on the edge of total exhaustion can be.
But watching Pain crash into the rock was pretty amusing, though... and I suppose it was worth it just to see that!
9. Peek-a-Boo! So Naruto used Sage Mode and a piece of Pain's chakra blade to trace Nagato to his hideout, eh?
I guess I can accept that, he's "already one with nature" after all, and that probably gave him a similar "locating" ability to the Byakugan when it came to energy. Naruto had slipped out of Sage Mode, it seemed, when Pain had previously pierced him before. So he couldn't have been able to do it then.
That experience might have actually been enough for him to understand that there was a real Pain elsewhere that he hadn't seen, too. Essentially he had to go through exactly what Jiraiya had to finally come to the conclusion.
Some people liked Naruto turning the tables on Nagato by having the "toad eyes" appear in the background. While I did find that amusing too, I thought it was a shame that it was made at Nagato's expense. After all, he was once feared as the "Akatsuki Leader" - and now he's being made a fool of by Naruto, and somehow I'm losing more respect for him every chapter as a villain. I mean, his motivation isn't very impressive, his plan is a bit eh, and now he seems like all he's got going for him is the Rinnegan which gave him the ability to be able to do what he did to Konohagakure. Maybe that's a good thing for the good guys, though.
I think it's becoming more clear to me that Madara was meant to be a more impressive antagonist, after all, and that he really deserved the title of being the true Akatsuki Leader.
But, although Pain did give us a good and fun battle with Naruto, I'm still a bit disappointed...
EDIT: Also, it seems like these "papers" that I thought were enveloping Nagato and Konan's hideout was only the bark of a tree from the looks of the Edited Mangas. Oops.
10. Where Have We See THAT Before...? Oho! Taking a page out of Sasuke's book, eh, Naruto? ^^
((EDIT: Or was it the other way around? wing_gundam informed me it was originally Naruto's idea regarding the use of the Shadow Shuriken. References: Chapter 14 Page 14, Page 15, and Page 17 Thanks wing!))
Hopefully, also just like Sasuke, though, Naruto will have his own personal touch where, just as Itachi couldn't escape unscathed from the Kage Shuriken, Deva Pain won't either...! The expanding ability of his Rasenshuriken should cause some problems, though.
((EDIT2: One thing I failed to observe during my initial reviewing, concerning Naruto's second Rasen Shuriken in the "shadow" for the former one... that IS the last of his RS's, not that I think it will decide the battle, but I should have noted that, because it likely means Naruto will slip out of Sage Mode for the duration, and indeed we saw him normal-eyed in the last panel (how did I miss that, anyway?)...Better late than never though...))
Somehow, though, I can't foresee the "Yahiko" body coming to such an end right away because the body used to be one of Nagato and Konan's companions, and is obviously essential to their story... but it's becoming obvious that I was wrong about Naruto having to wait until a final confrontation with Nagato... I guess it's becoming imminent now.
But what will Naruto do about Konan, eh? He still doesn't know Nagato actually has a companion with him. Although, I'm not sure I would have much to fear from an origami-using Akatsuki, come to think of it, if I was Naruto.
Well, maybe somebody else will join Naruto soon. Yamato, perhaps?
RATING: 3 of 5 - There were too many writing problems I had with the chapter. Maybe you guys will be able to convince me that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but it's still not one of Kishimoto's finest chapters in this arc.
PREDICTIONS: For once I'll believe what the chapter said at the end about the fight "ending" next chapter... at least with Deva Pain. I'm looking forward to seeing the pages in color. It's also very reminiscent of how the first Zabuza battle ended, when the first two pages were done in color, as well. Hopefully we get something similar to that.
Again, my deepest apologies for this being such a rushed review without any images, and if it didn't satisfy you at all. But, yeah... I guess I'll see all you guys next weekend -.-; (Damn Comcast!)
Please still post any observations you may have, though, even if I may not be able to respond right away. Some people may be able to answer your questions, like they did last week, too.
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