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Title:
  Naruto Shippuden Box Set 8

UK Distributor:  Manga Entertainment

BBFC Certificate:  12

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  £24.99

Episodes:  89-100 (ongoing series)

Audio Options:  English & Japanese 2.0

Subtitles:  English

Release Date: 27th February 2012

Reviewer:  Rich (Webmaster)
 

 I sometimes wonder how long Naruto is going to go on for.  Another long running anime series – Bleach – has recently been cancelled in Japan, but Naruto is going strong both in Japan and in the UK.  That it has maintained an audience despite more than a years worth of filler episodes in its original run and frequent side stories in its Shippuden incarnation is a testament to the loyalty of its fanbase and the fact that it remains watchable.

This volume kicks off with the aftermath of the battle against Kakuzu, a battle which has left the Konoha ninja exhausted but victorious.  Naruto’s devastating new technique uses his wind chakra to cause damage on the cellular level, but he quickly learns that the power of the technique is so great that it injures him to a degree too.  Prolonged use will leave him unable to mould chakra, ending his career as a ninja, so he needs to discover some other powerful techniques that have less dangerous side effects.  With this in mind he begins new training with Jiraiya in the hope of mastering combination techniques, wherein he combines his power with that of the frogs he summons to create a combines attack of immense power.  Meanwhile Konoha receives a lead on Orochimaru’s location for the first time in a while and immediately scramble a search team led by Kakashi to investigate.  However, Orochimaru has plans of his own, calling upon his follower Guren to look after and escort Yuukimaru, a young boy with an unusual power, to a certain place.  Guren’s unique abilities makes her perfect for the job and after she selects a group of skilled fighters from amongst Orochimaru’s test subjects she heads off with her charge, but Kakashi’s team are unknowingly closing in on them.  Both groups are on a collision course and the outcome of their meeting could be down to wits and the power of their respective abilities, can Naruto master the combination jutsu in time and what is Orochimaru really after?
 

Once again a main story arc has come to an end with the defeat of Hidan and Kakuzu, so it’s back to filler territory we go!  If you don’t know what I mean by filler, it’s those additional storylines which aren’t in the original manga which are added to a weekly anime to pad it out and stop it from catching up with the source material.  These filler stories are not written by the original creator and often play it safe by focusing on comedy or expanding on canonical events to avoid potential contradictions with future story development. 

If this fills you with the same level of dread as it does me, hold your horses, because apart from the excruciating training scenes with the unnerving transvestite frog Mr Gamariki the Guren storyline isn’t half bad.  Much of the filler this time round focuses on Guren and her relationship with Orochimaru.  Her unique crystal techniques were coveted by Orochimaru and she was originally supposed to be a vessel for his soul, but missed her chance and has been sidelined by the arrival of Sasuke.  Guren sees her mission as a chance of redemption and is desperate to succeed, but it’s clear that Orochimaru sees her as just another tool at his disposal.

The Guren storyline may tread familiar ground (her being cast aside by Orochimaru in favour of Sasuke is similar to Kimimaro’s story from the original Naruto series), it’s well delivered and there’s plenty of action and drama too.  Guren’s powers are unusual, but believable within the Naruto universe and the game of cat and mouse between her subordinates and Kakashi’s team is intriguing.  The best aspect of it though is how Guren’s character develops over the story, taking her from an embittered and ruthless rent-a-villain to a more conflicted individual whose growing bond with Yuukimaru is starting to test her loyalties.  Yuukimaru is a emotionally damaged child who brings out Guren’s protective instincts, and Orochimaru’s plan poses a considerable risk to him.  His plan could also have a wider implication in the ninja world too, it puts him into direct opposition to Akatsuki and could lead to a major shift of power if successful.  This obviously puts Guren and Yuukimaru at the centre of a potentially massive conflict, and with Kakashi’s team around too things could get even more dangerous for them.  Kakashi is accompanied by some of the best tracking ninja Konoha has in its ranks – Kiba, Hinata and Shino – and they are closing in on both Guren and her followers. There’s plenty of action to back up the drama, and when it hits its stride towards the end of the volume things have gotten quite interesting.
 

However, filler is filler, and even the best filler can’t stand up to comparison with the normal storyline.  In this case the interesting storyline about Guren and Orochimaru’s plan to harness a huge power is preceded by several episodes of ‘comedy’ training between Naruto and Mr Gamariki, who is then replaced with Gamatatsu and Gamakichi.  Much attempted hilarity falls flat as the series trots out tired jokes about Gamakichi’s obsession with food, Naruto’s pratfalling stupidity and Gamatatsu pretending to know more than he does.  It’s all been  

done before and is no better now than it was then, I always have a problem with how the filler episodes have a habit of making Naruto into a clown, ignoring all of the character development which has occurred throughout the series.  These episodes are exceedingly guilty of this, but the Guren storyline that follows is actually pretty good, even if the fighters accompanying her are quite flat and underdeveloped.

As filler volumes go this one is actually pretty good, and apart from the lame training with the frogs the story is relatively gripping and quite interesting.  The main problem it has is that it comes hot on the heels of the excellent battles against Hidan and Kakuzu, and considering the major plot events that occurred during that story anything that followed it was always going to feel a little flat by comparison.  This said the story is still streets ahead of most of the past Naruto filler, and for once introduces an original character you can actually care about.  Guren’s story may not be that original but it’s a well delivered tale of loyalty and betrayal, and as it takes up the majority of this volume it goes a long way to glossing over the cringeworthy training episodes.  In fact the only good thing that comes out of these early episodes is some bonding between Naruto and Jiraiya, which is a nice aside after the action and intense drama of the last couple of volumes.  For once the series manages to do filler and stay watchable, and this upturn could be indicative of why it is still running in Japan.  Naruto Shippuden Part 8 is another good chapter in an enduring series, long may it continue.

Extras

The usual trailers and galleries, plus the comedy extra segments at the end of each episode.  Standard stuff.

Ratings

Feature:   Extras:
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