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Naruto Uncut Boxed Set, Volume 2
Any otaku worth their salt knows about Naruto; there's just no way around it. Masashi Kishimoto's original manga has taken the world by storm since it was introduced way back in 1999. Roughly eight years later the publication has 30 volumes under its belt and the anime has garnered a comparable (arguably larger) audience. Naruto Fever has caught on here in America as well and it seems that you can't walk anywhere without seeing the spikey haired ninja.
When it comes to the Region 1 release of the anime on DVD there have been two completely different forms. One edition of Naruto is a watered down and kid-friendly edited version. Needless to say if you're an older collector or anime aficionado you do not want that one. If that's you then be glad that VIZ has put together Uncut collections that feature the show the way it was originally intended to be seen. The first one came out in the summer of 2006 and the second in the latter part of the year (which is the subject of today's review).
Naruto tells a tale filled with mysticism, ninja jutsu, and the coming of age of a group of young shinobi. Twelve years ago a great nine-tail demon fox tore across the land and devastated the world with its fearsome power. Thanks to the skill of a particular Hokage (ninja village leader) the demon was sealed and the world was safe. Where the demon was sealed however, was probably not the most ideal of locations. Naruto (a newborn at the time) became the host for the fox demon's soul though ironically he has no clue about it.
Now that Naruto is twelve years old he's well on his way towards becoming a full-fledged ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village. He has reached a point in his training where he no longer works alone; instead he teams up with a pair of fellow youths. Sasuke and Sakura work along side of Naruto (whether they want to or not) as they study under the tutelage or Kakashi.
In the last Uncut Collection we were introduced to Naruto and company, given some insight into the past, and watched as they undertook their first "official" big mission. The whole purpose of their mission is to protect a bridge maker as he travels back to his village. Along the way things got rough when the band was attacked by ninja and the bridge maker confessed to being under the oppressive boot of one of the richest and most feared men in the world. The troop also ran into ninja-for-hire (Zabuza and Haku) who provided a significant challenge. The end of the first collection presented Sasuke trapped inside of an icy prison and Kakashi facing Zabuza alone; that's right where this installment picks up.
With Sasuke pinned down and at the mercy of Haku, Naruto hatches a brilliant plan that involves him becoming trapped as well. Naturally this was a pretty stupid and brash thing for him to do but it is Naruto after all. Together the two begin to work together to take down Haku. Unfortunately the icy ninja's skill gets the better of them and Sasuke goes down and skewered so many times he looks like a pin cushion. This set up one of the most amazing bits for the show up to this point; the releasing of the fox demon chakra from Naruto. At last we get to see the potential that the boy has but the real question remains whether or not he can keep the power in check.
Meanwhile Kakashi and Zabuza square off in a thick fog. The master ninjas have a lot of tricks up their sleeves and it's no surprise that they seem fairly even matched. The long and short of it is that Kakashi is the good guy and Zabuza is the bad so I'm sure you can do the math and figure out who wins. There are a few surprises in store here though if you haven't read the manga.
After the bridge ordeal the ninja team heads back to their village and takes on little tasks that allow them to gain experience. This was kind of a filler section until the Chunin exams are brought up. If you haven't read the manga yet then you'll be pleased to know that the Chunin exams are basically a series of tests designed to root out the weaker classes and promote the stronger. Naturally Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all get nods from Kakashi to participate and the end of this collection sees the kids working on the first exam.
This collection of episodes was as good as (if not better than) the first. The furthering of the plot and development of characters takes the show in new directions and fills in a lot of the blanks. Along the way there are a few bumps in the road and some dialogue feels purposely drawn out to suck up run time. In a couple of cases there is nothing more than posturing, flashbacks, and talky bits. It's nothing that detracts from the experience; it just kind of hurts the pacing. Naruto is still a solid show and these uncut collections are definitely worth having in your anime pile.
Originally airing in 2002 Naruto is presented with a 1.33:1 fullframe aspect ratio and features a vibrant transfer. The characters absolutely pop from just about every frame with a bright palette and a pleasing art style. With the recent production date the show doesn't have a lot of visible flaws though it's hard to deny that there are some here and there.
A slight amount of grain blankets areas of the feature where colors are shaded or murkier than most. Some bits of compression where identifiable as well. Apart from these minor borderline nitpicky gripes there really was nothing to complain about. This is a solid looking show that is presented well on DVD.
The audio presentation for Naruto comes in the form of two 2.0 stereo tracks. The English dubbing offers up some irritating voices and an experience that one might call overacting. The Japanese language track was much better with easily acceptable vocals and equivalent quality in sound. With the limitations of a stereo track it's no surprise that there is little to no directionality. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination but a 5.1 offering would have gone a long way. Still, this collection is problem free; it just doesn't go out of its way to impress.
Just like the first collection there is a selection of bonus material featured on this release. For starters there is a storyboard booklet packaged with the DVDs inside of the blue outer shell. Once you get to the third disc of the set you'll find the rest of the supplemental stuff. A gallery of production art, storyboard comparison for Episode 22 (the one where Rock Lee confesses his love to Sakura), and a pile of trailers are what you'll find. Something "more" like a commentary or interview would have been appreciated but what we have here is "decent enough" compared to other anime.
Naruto is just one of those series that has lasting appeal with all audiences. It's rare that something is as widely accepted, but the action, humor, and heartfelt storytelling are perfect reasons for its success. The second uncut collection includes the finale of the Zabuza/Haku conflict and the beginnings of the Chunin Exams. The volume drags a little at points but overall this is another very solid group of episodes. There's a reason that Naruto is as popular as it is and if you haven't checked it out yet then you'd best consider doing so.
Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!
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