Naruto: Akaki Yotsuba no Clover wo Sagase

Esta review también está en español.

Naruto: Find the Crimson Four-leaf Clover! is the first special ever created for Naruto, and was shown at the Jump Festa 2003. We can say (almost affirm) that this was the first attempt to exploit this highly successful anime...

Located after the land of the waves saga, but before the chunin exams, the story is about how Konohamaru falls for Kaede, a girl that, sadly, is moving from the village. To avoid this, Konohamaru asks Naruto to help him in the search for the crimson four-leaf clover, which according to the legend, is able to fulfill any wish. Unfortunately, this magic ... clover is in Akagahara, better known as "that damn forest where the second chunin exam happens". That means, danger and traps everywhere. But fear not, Sasuke and Sakura will eventually go and help, so nobody will die :P.

Visually, this special is fine, nothing spectacular, just like one of the first episodes of the anime. Same with the sound.

But everything written above could be known simply by reading the synopsis and looking at the date of publication. The only important question that you, my reader, should be having now is... This thing worth it? Well, this is a clear example of what people see, with terror, as filler. FILLER. I know that almost every special can be seen as filler, but this one is in the bad sense of the word. We can say there are good filler and bad filler. Good filler: see Kakashi's face (silly ep, but funny). Bad filler: remember the curry thing? Well, this special would be in the middle (closest to the bad side): this isn't a good episode on its own (it was very early in the story, so there weren't much ninja techniques... or characters... or ideas), but it's not as bad as the baddest, unwatchable, eye-ripping fillers (and is only seventeen minutes long, so it's bearable). I recommend this only for the (very) fans. The special Battle at the Hidden Falls is longer, with better quality and more content/fights. Without being and outstanding special either, i find it more recommendable.
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Naruto: Find the Crimson Four-leaf Clover! es el primer especial/OVA creado de Naruto, y fue exhibido en el Jump Festa del 2003. La verdad, se nota que este fue el primer intento de explotar este exitosísimo anime...

Ubicada después de la saga del país de las olas, pero antes de los exámenes chunin, la historia trata de cómo Konohamaru se enamora de Kaede, una chica que se está mudando de la aldea. Para evitarlo, Konohamaru le pide a Naruto que lo ayude a buscar el trébol carmesí de cuatro hojas, que según la leyenda, es capaz de cumplir cualquier deseo. Por desgracia, dicho trébol se encuentra en Akagahara, mejor conocida como “el bosque del segundo examen chunin”. O sea, peligro y trampas por todos lados....

A nivel técnico, tanto visual como sonido, este especial es correcto, pero nada espectacular: tiene la misma calidad de uno de los primeros capítulos del anime.

Pero todo lo escrito anteriormente podía saberse simplemente leyendo la sinopsis y viendo la fecha de publicación. La pregunta que deben estar planteándose es... ¿esto vale la pena?. La verdad.... esto es un ejemplo de lo que la gente considera, con terror, filler. FILLER. Podemos decir que hay filler bueno y filler malo. Filler bueno: ver la cara de Kakashi (tonto, pero gracioso, y disfrutable). Filler malo: curry de la vida (catástrofe). Se entiende? Bueno, este especial estaría en el medio (pero más cerca del lado malo): la verdad es que en sí mismo no es un buen episodio (era un momento muy temprano de la trama, así que no había mucha técnica ninja disponible... ni personajes... ni ideas, parece...), pero tampoco es que uno quiera arrancarse los ojos después de verlo (son solamente 17 minutos, así que es aguantable). Recomendable solo para los (muy) fanáticos de Naruto. El especial Batalla en la cascada oculta es más largo, de mejor calidad, y pasan más cosas (sin ser tampoco tremendamente espectacular), por lo que me parece más recomendable.

Specials are never really "good" but they can and should be enjoyable. They should be funny and a sort of comic relief. I usually like the Naruto specials, but I couldn't stand this one.

The story focuses around Konohamaru and Naruto searching for a secret wish-granting clover that will hopefully prevent Konohamaru's crush from moving away from the village. I personally loathe Konohamaru as a character and find him exceptionally annoying. The jokes were lame and the artwork was worse than the parent story. If you're trying to watch a Naruto special, I recommend any other than this, as this was probably the worst that I ... have watched.

Given the length of this special, my expectations were minimal. If you're looking for development or something that deepens the characterization or plot, this is not the one for you. But if you're okay with a simple slice of life that shows more of the characters you've grown to love, then maybe give this a go. I adore both Naruto and Konohamaru and always look forward to their banter and interactions, so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this. Sure, the special is incredibly short, and the plot is a straightforward minor adventure, but it has the characters' usual funny antics and the charm of ... Konohamaru's first crush, a landmark I was happy to witness however briefly.

<Potential Spoilers>
I can see why this was an OVA.

Everything about this ova is unnecessary and generic. The horrifically generic storyline, decent animation, and ok sound design are only saved by the interactions of characters Naruto and Konohamaru.

The story can be summed up in this single sentence. Konohamaru needs Naruto to try and get with a girl. While the story of trying to get a girl can be done right. This OVA presents the story in a way that is forgettable and just boring.

The animation is decent, it’s around the same quality as most other Naruto episodes. I don’t know if it had something to do ... with the quality of the copy I had of the OVA or the actual OVA itself had this quality. But I could only play it at like 144p. For now, I will only assume it was a result of the poor copy I had.

There’s really not that much too say about the sound design other then the voice acting was decent. That’s it.

The characters Naruto and Konohamaru interacting and working with each other made the ova slightly more bearable. It was fun seeing these two interacting. But that’s really all the OVA had going for it.

While this review is short, the OVA has nothing going for it. A generic story, ok animation, and ok sound design are only forgiven through the somewhat enjoyable character interactions.

Overall, I rank this 4/10.