Naruto: The Cross Roads

Unlike other Naruto Special/OVA episodes that feel kind of slow, this one moves at a nice pace. The Cross Roads managed to keep me interested all the way through and I was very happy to see that it's pretty much like a normal episode... Except for the art. This one is not animated like your typical Naruto episode. It has somewhat of a 3D-ish style to it. Although I'm usually not that big of a fan of this style, I thought it looked decent and it wasn't much of a problem when you got into the action.

I had only a few issues with The Cross ... Roads. For example, it had a cheap way of getting the story where it needed to go, but I guess it's unfair to expect much else from a 26 minute episode. Also, there were a couple of things that did not make any sense. All in all, I think this episode was pretty enjoyable. More so than many fillers in the anime itself.

With specials or OVAs I'm open to different things and adjust my expectations accordingly. I'm okay with the classic slice of life episodes and am also fine with the ones that add further characterization or plot depth. But with these varying expectations, the common thread is always a sense of value added--the sense that this is something that contributes an additional element I can enjoy outside of the main series.

This does not have that expected value added. It's not a slice of life, and it also doesn't add anything to the current characters and plot, though it does attempt to do the latter. It ... has a generic battle with generic opponents and the end goal is to introduce a plot line and characters that are already introduced in the main anime. As a result, it feels completely redundant. Its placement in relation to the main series also confuses me. Chronologically speaking, it is situated right after the Zabuza arc and right before the first Chuunin exam. But if we watch it this way, the central antagonists of the Chuunin exam arc are spoiled for us. On the other hand, if we watch it after we've already watched said arc, it feels (like I said) redundant and unnecessary because at this point we already know about the antagonists and their plan. So what really is the point of this special?

The animation here is also different and resembles that of a video game, and it distracted me throughout the special.

One thing I did like, however, was watching Sasuke and Naruto work together in battle. Too often we see them fighting individually or against each other, so this was a breath of fresh air.

This is either the most bizarre or the weakest Naruto content ever. The animation it had was simply unbelievable, and for all the wrong reasons. It's unintentionally funny to an extent, except the story itself leaves little room for any such "laughs". The action is fairly decent, but the weak 3D animation makes it easily forgettable. Only a few quick shots of jumping through trees actually feel well done and the rest of it works because the story is somehow entertaining.

Naruto's appearance and personality, since he is a funny character, is more or less unfazed by the 3D conversion and possibly the only one that ... doesn't feel truly out of place. Others, such as Sakura, Sasuke and even Kakashi feel too plastic and the villain is somehow fine. It's a simple action episode focused on a fight with villains and somehow is salvaged by the writing. Yes, it's nothing groundbreaking or extraordinary but still gripping enough to let the 26 minutes fly by without much of a pain. The ending music is very good.

If you are a fan of Naruto, and especially its traditional yet catchy animation style, you will find this episode a major disappointment. (Don't get me started on how funny, though unintentionally, it is when we get to see a closeup of Sasuke's "terrified" face and instead of feeling worried for him we're left laughing in bits) Yet, some of the action and humor work, making this a worthwhile watch for the same reason (being a Naruto fan). Not a must watch, but decent enough to be given a try since it does take guts to try something different that comes with the risk of instant rejection from the traditional viewers. Depends, however, on how big of a Naruto fan you are!