After an endless wasteland of filler, Naruto returns! Joy! Happiness! Frowns turned upside down! I couldn't believe it when the fillers ended. I was ecstatic.
Now I'm ready with a pillow whenever I tune in every friday. Question mark? I'll tell you why I'm prone to falling asleep while watching Naruto:Shippuuden - it just isn't Naruto anymore. It just isn't the same series.
Story: Don't get me wrong, Naruto didn't just magically start stabbing me with disappointment because the story started to totally go downhill. In fact, the first episode's preview with Naruto's future encounter with Sasuke had me on the edge of my seat. I
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couldn't believe it: Naruto was back! No, the story continues and follows through adequately as a continuation of the original Naruto. The great elements of the original story are still here: the theme of an everlasting friendship, the importance of maintaining hope, the need to endure and persevere .. these themes are all still there! Naruto is still a great guy and he still strives to protect his friends and 'save' Sasuke while taking on Akatsuki at the same time. So what happened to Naruto? Well, story-wise, nothing. I still love the story. I love the world of Naruto, the ninjas, the techniques, the weapons, the themes, the plot. Although the story doesn't present the viewers with anything deep or complicated, I still like it. But the story isn't the problem. The story as it is and as it continues, gets a 7.5/10 from me.
Characters: It was great to see how much the characters changed from the original Naruto. Character development in this aspect, was great. Pretty much everbody had a new design and they all looked great. In terms of personality, well, they were the same loveable characters, unique in their own way. In terms of Naruto and Sakura, they really developed. Although he still acts like it, Naruto isn't the same happy loudmouth he used to be. He's been deeply scarred from Sasuke's betrayal, and despite all thats happened, he's still obsessed with saving him. Of course, Sasuke's betrayal affected Sakura too and she's really toughened up. She isn't the useless twist she used to be, and shes really grown to respect and care for Naruto. Character development is great, the characters are great, old and new. Sai for example, is an interesting add on, he brought the funnies and kept the comedic aspects of the show alive. The characters aren't the problem either: 8/10
Art / Animation: Here is where Shippuuden starts going downhill. In terms of the new characters and their new character designs, I love em. But Naruto just isn't animated as well as it used to be. There is a lot of repeated animation in Shippuuden. This ranges from terribly animated tree jumping scenes (it actually looks more like they're flying instead of jumping half the time, lazy much?) to staring faces and overused flashbacks. I can understand the need to repeat the frames from things like the tree jumping scenes that are filled with dialog, or the occasional flashback to remind us of what happened in the original Naruto or something a couple of episodes ago. But the extent of it is teetering on the cliff side. The quality is just going downhill. Kakashi's new Sharingan attack for example, was terribly done in my opinion. I could have done that effect in photoshop. To make it worst, they drew it out for minutes on end ... completely destroying the 'cool factor'. There are also several still scenes that consist of pure eye to eye combat with wind blowing in the background. Cool? I think not, not when pointless staring takes up about 15% of the episode's air time. Asides from this, the coloring and detail of the characters in terms of shading and such also seem to be lacking in contrast to the original Naruto. Looking at the two, they just aren't on the same level anymore. Maybe it's because I've gotten so used to the series, or because I've watched so many more series since the original Naruto, but the quality has definitely deteriorated. Of course, some of the big fights are still animated quite nicely: 7/10
Sound: Things just get worst from here. While I loved the new opening and closing songs, the episode bgm just isn't the same. The upbeat action music heard in the original Naruto has been replaced by lame 'lets make this fight seem really tense and epic' music that fails horribly. I want the old soundtracks back! Granted, the series is alot more serious now, but the background soundtracks really can't shake the excitement meter up to where it used to be: 6/10
Ok, so it's the same story, continued. The same characters, with some cool new additions are there. The animatiors are getting a bit lazy, and the soundtracks aren't making me chew my fingernails anymore. Does this really warrant a 6?
Pacing: This is what has killed Naruto. Not Akatasuki, Not Orochimaru, not Sasuke, not Sakura's poundings - the pacing has killed our beloved hero, Naruto. This is the sole reason that the plot development seems slow and nonexistent, this is why character development is hard to note unless you really love the series, this is why animation is being reused, repeated, or not done at all, this is why I can no longer enjoy Naruto like I used to. So much time is deliberately wasted on mundane scenes such as staring, or camera panning that there are often many awkward pauses that make you wonder, 'did my computer freeze?'. This should NOT be happening in an anime! The amount of still scenes and overused camera panning should not be in surplus and evident enough to deteriorate the quality of a show! There are so many episodes that had amazing potential to be jaw-droppers, but they weren't. Intense battles like episodes 41-43 are completely ruined due to horribly SLOW SLOW pacing!
Arguably, the animators want to avoid killing its viewers with a plauge of fillers, but is it really worth it to completely destroy such a potentially satisfying anime? In my opinion, they're ruining the series. We waited and endured just as our hero taught us to - only to be attacked by this monstrosity. The pacing effectively destroyed my love for this show. You may argue that fillers are worse and thats debatable. What isn't however, is that there is enough manga material for at least another 50 FAST paced Naruto episodes. Thats a year! Probably more when you consider that by the time 50 episodes are released, there could be enough material for another 20 or so potential episodes.
Overall: Same enjoyable story with great potential. But the pacing needs to change. That pillow I mentioned at the beginning of this long, terrible review? It wasn't for sleeping. It was to stop me from killing myself from bashing my head against the desk as I watched a potentially good series slaughtered before my eyes. 6/10
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Naruto Hurricane Chronicles
Japanese: -ナルト- 疾風伝
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
500
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Feb 15, 2007 to Mar 23, 2017
Premiered:
Winter 2007
Broadcast:
Thursdays at 19:30 (JST)
Licensors:
VIZ Media
Studios:
Pierrot
Source:
Manga
Theme:
Martial Arts
Demographic:
Shounen
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#2882
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#15
Members:
2,276,097
Favorites:
104,473
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Sort
Your Feelings Categories Jan 31, 2008
After an endless wasteland of filler, Naruto returns! Joy! Happiness! Frowns turned upside down! I couldn't believe it when the fillers ended. I was ecstatic.
Now I'm ready with a pillow whenever I tune in every friday. Question mark? I'll tell you why I'm prone to falling asleep while watching Naruto:Shippuuden - it just isn't Naruto anymore. It just isn't the same series. Story: Don't get me wrong, Naruto didn't just magically start stabbing me with disappointment because the story started to totally go downhill. In fact, the first episode's preview with Naruto's future encounter with Sasuke had me on the edge of my seat. I ... Mar 23, 2017
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Naruto Shippuden : Review | ------------------------------------- Naruto. The series that sold over 220 million manga copies, winning handful of awards along the way. An anime that ranked as one of the most watched series in Japan that got tarnished by a greedy studio and has received tons of internet backlash throughout the years. Let me start off by saying Naruto is by no means a flawless anime. It's the exact opposite. The series had too many fillers. Sometimes the animation quality was below par and pacing can be painfully slow at times. But please bear with me here. I'm going to tell you why it has ... Mar 6, 2011
I am a big anime fan and I have to say that Naruto: Shippuuden is one of my absolute all time favourites. There are probably so many people that would disagree with me and tell me that Naruto and Naruto: Shippuuden are a waste of time and that the story is a bunch of fillers put together. I strongly disagree and will tell you all why with this review of mine.
First of all, the biggest difference between Naruto and Shippuuden is the darker tone, the maturity and the depth in Shippuuden. In Naruto, the whole series was about him wanting to become the Hokage, ... Mar 24, 2017
First off I just wanna say that I am super sad that this show has come to an end. Naruto was my childhood and with it's ending I feel like a part of me is now gone. This is the show that got me into anime and I'm grateful for that. This show is no where near perfect, but is anything really perfect ?
I'll start out with some of the cons of this show. As many other reviews have already stated, Naruto is loaded with filler episodes and this can't be any more true. At times the fillers can be ... Jan 17, 2014
Let me just clarify this now while we’re both still at the very first sentence of this review, and also, at the very first sentence of my very first review ever, but; Naruto Shippuden, and the entire Naruto series in and of itself, is my most favourite anime of all time. Yes, you may think differently, or even otherwise, but I’ll just simply state this now, it is my most favourite anime ever. If you’d care to know why, or you’re simply curious, read on.
Story: 10/10 I personally think that the story of Naruto/Shippuden is great; it may not be the best, and it may ... Mar 23, 2017
Oh, I hope that I’ll be the first to write the review when all the Naruto anime series end. Well, what should I start with… 15 years. For FIFTEEN years this anime brought me joy and unspeakable emotions. For FIFTEEN years it taught me right from wrong. For FIFTEEN years it … it’s been a guide of light for me. Jeez, I was raised on this anime, I became older with its characters, I just LOVE IT!!!
The Naruto series started when I was in a preschool age, and for 15 years it never stopped to surprise me. Though ... May 20, 2008
Shippuuden was a step-up from the original series in some ways, but it's worse at other points, making it just so-so.
The story has become increasingly complex compared to the original series. You still have the whole deal with Naruto wanting to become Hokage, but that is very overshadowed by many new plots. You have Akatsuki who's after all the Jinchuuriki, there's Sasuke and his quest for revenge, Naruto's struggle against the Kyuubi, Team 7's quest to get back Sasuke and Danzo's plot to take over Konoha. Yeah, there's a lot going on, and I enjoy that a lot - a plot-rich story is always fun ... Mar 22, 2017
Naruto Shippuuden! The series that would never end finally ends! After ten years, five-hundred episodes and several movie tie-ins, this milked cow is finally laid down to rest, resulting in one of the worst shounen anime adaptations ever made. While I did enjoy myself with the series and certainly found myself even liking it for the first two-hundred episodes or so, the insane amount of filler, padding, and the abysmal final three or four arcs made me despise this show by the end, and all of the characters and narrative. The filler in this anime is such a goddamn problem that it destroys the entire
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Apr 4, 2013
First off, I would like to let you know that this is my first ever review and I'm glad it's going to be for Naruto.
Naruto was an anime which would leave first time viewers with a bad taste in their mouth, it was like this immature anime with not much of a story to it and it's main character was just this silly, clumsy immature kid who is determined to become the Hokage of his village some day. It made viewers go through a painful number of fillers to get to a serious part which made many fans disappointed at the end of the first ... Mar 23, 2017
TL;DR: Believe it! Took 10 years and 500 episodes but it finally ended. Guess that cow finally ran out of milk!
[Story: 5/10 , Characters: 6/10, Art: 6/10, Sound: 9/10, Enjoyment: 7/10] Believe it! The series who was never meant to end has finally been laid to rest… or has it? It may have taken 10 years and 500 episodes (280 Cannon and 220 Fillers, believe it, I counted), thank you Studio Pierrot for finally stop milking this cow. Let's be real, all the real fans got so tired of your shenanigans they finished the manga long time ago. So why would you invest in this ... Mar 23, 2017
Why people are rating this series so low, I don't know
It's truly the end. Naruto was always something that I considered bad due to the fillers, however once I got into it I was hooked. Story: Ah, the story. It's just filled with so much emotion and it was amazingly executed up until the Pain Arc, yes it went down, and we all know the War was dragged on for far too long but surely that doesn't ruin the moral of the story? Naruto always had one goal, and we always knew that he would meet stronger opponents, some that could challenge his goal, and Obito ... Feb 22, 2009
At the time of this writing, Naruto is all but over. In fact, it might as well have been over way back when the fillers started in the first season.
What started out as a great anime with a deep story and tons of charming characters has inexplicably turned its back on most of what was good about it, first and foremost the relationship between naruto, sasuke and sakura. And there are still filler arcs in Shippuuden, one of which has just begun. We are now at episode 95 of the second season and sasuke is still basically nowhere to be seen. The first arc showed bits ... Jul 15, 2013
This Anime is one I have taken to heart more over then any other. Before I begin this review I want to leave a couple side notes. This review may not be entirely accurate on account of my own feelings towards the series. I will grade it the same way I did my Bleach review. If their is anyone unsatisfied with my review, then please massage me with ways of improving the presentation. With all that in mind I hope you bare with me and enjoy what I have to say.
I'll begin with my view on the story line. ... Nov 16, 2012
Love gives birth to sacrifice.
It's one of the trinity of most popular animes, which includes Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. All far into the hundreds and hundreds of episodes. I finished the first Naruto series, and I'm close to catching up in Naruto: Shippuuden. So, Let's just jump right into my review, may turn out to be a long one. Story: 6/10 I loved this story, at first. The reason it didn't get a 10/10 is the fact that it's not necessarily an original story, the concept of a ninja based anime is not at all an original concept anymore. Also, there's been reoccurring issues with the ... Oct 1, 2013
I cannot believe this poor excuse of a directing team gets a near 8 overall, and MANY 9's/10's for their work. Before I begin, I'd like to remind everyone that a "6" constitutes "Fair". Meaning, this anime is better than "Mediocre", better than "Decent".
(the mean of the subcategory values doesn't equal 6 because MAL lacks a "flow" category) Naruto Shippuuden is probably the most famous anime to the general American populous. You might consider that one guy the whitest guy on the planet, yet he's probably watched some form of anime: Naruto. In fact, Naruto is so widespread that you could actually have friends that can ... Jun 12, 2008
As 'good' as the normal naruto series.
Reminicent of Inuyasha - characters keep running around and nothing really (ever!) happens plot-wise(what plot? There is no plot!) for the next 300 manga chapters and 500 anime eps... Will Inyasha, ops I mean naruto, save kagome, ops I mean sasuke.... Seriously.... Most of the time is spent showing characters: running around (mostly jumping from tree to tree, it seems), standing tensely, with the wind blowing between them...Very productive and oh so tense. oh, almost forgot sakura's endless whining about poow nawuto and/or sasuke or someone/something else equally as unamusing. And naruto's whining about sasuke. Had to watch ... Sep 6, 2011
227 episodes....A good point to make a review in my opinion.
Naruto had its ups and downs but for me the ups were better cause the fillers weren't all that bad. Now we have Shippuuden and i am both happy yet disappointed. I'll do my best to keep things brief and simple. This series has great potential. Naruto still has his goal for becoming Hokage and being a Jinchuuriki doesn't help at all. The akatsuki keep getting in the way trying to steal the Kyuubi. Naruto is of course much older but not that much stronger as i would personally have hoped. If you also are disappointed by ... Nov 6, 2010
In the original Naruto, you have a simple plot with youthful, childish humor befitting for children, as it is an anime about children and typically for children. As you near the end, the fillers can become unbearable, and everyone is excited to just get it over with and fly off into a whole new world that is Naruto: Shippuden. Naruto Shippuden is the continued story of Narutos life journey about 3 years later. Although 3 years may not seem all that long, at a crucial age as Naruto is in the anime, and the life that he has to lead, it is in fact an
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Dec 13, 2007
Another Shippuden Review
by radiantfire Context: This review analyses Naruto: Shippuuden (simply referred to as Shippuuden from herein), an anime adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto's shounen manga Naruto. At the time of writing, I have watched 39 episodes of the series. Story: Two and a half years after Naruto has ended, Shippuuden picks up with fresh new characters and story arcs. Although the anime generally remains true to the manga, small fillers give the story an unnecessary drag. It's somewhat amazing how, in some instances, 1 chapter can equal 2 or more episodes. However, I do find some fillers a pleasant addition to the general plot of the series. Animation: The animation, in ... Oct 18, 2008
Naruto Shippuuden is the new Dragonball Z. Remember back in the day where it took like 6 episodes to finish something that should only take 5 minutes? Yeah... Naruto is turning into that.
One of the biggest problems about the show is not necessarily the flashbacks (hey think of it as a supplement to the manga), but instead, the recaps. Recycling footage may have worked in the late 80's/90's, but this is ridiculous. You can tell that they're really just trying to prevent the show from going past the manga which, based on past experiences, is a good idea. However, fillers are better if some ... |