Shippuden

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

W00t. Ok, so lets discuss the new NON-FILLER YAY OMG YAYZ Naruto arcs. Man, that first ep was driving me nuts. So many slow slow scenes. After all that time away, they didnt need dramatic build up. I wanted to see everyone, and get the blood pumping again and whatnot. But nooooooo, gotta slowly pace a bunch of boring scenes where people just stand around smiling.

I can't wait to see Konhamaru's abilities now that he is genin.

[Kaneda]

The episode was a lot of slow dramatic pans and re-introducing characters... I was a little bumbed. However, it did leave me excited for the next release, so I can't complain to much. I really wanted to see Naruto fight, but I guess I can wait.

[ACE2001]

Hmm...to be quite honest, the Saskue reuninon was a bit melodramatic for me since I've been following the manga religiously. Still, it was nice to watch Naruto in action again. :) Still quite the comedian. The real trouble for me is that I'm currently reading the manga and I'm far ahead of the anime. Since the fillers are officially over, I'm not sure how long I will actually follow it. Haven't actually watched the anime in 2 years since the fillers have aired. Manga has been satisfying my Naruto needs. :)

[HolyWhippet]

I expect the anime to be better for the action scenes - especially the fight scenes. Often the manga leaves me scratching my head trying to work out what actually happened.

The first 5 minutes or so confused me since they were showing a scene that is well down the track - I'd say it will be at least six months before they get to that part of the story.

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

Oh my god, Shippuden is so goddamned slow. I don't feel the slightest change in emotion or excitement at the 'fighting' or confrontation. Its so so boring. The flashbacks, the slow panning etc. So far, they're fighting like in the fillers. Just..boring. Oh sure, Sakura is upgraded now, but she's always destroyed stuff when she punched before. Just that now its technically official rather than comical.

[eva2000]

Oh my god, Shippuden is so goddamned slow. I don't feel the slightest change in emotion or excitement at the 'fighting' or confrontation. Its so so boring. The flashbacks, the slow panning etc. So far, they're fighting like in the fillers. Just..boring. Oh sure, Sakura is upgraded now, but she's always destroyed stuff when she punched before. Just that now its technically official rather than comical.
Yup slowest first 3 episodes of any anime series I've seen so far :lol:

I hope they either pick up the pace or decide to show those 1hr long marathon tv run specials they occassionally do :nod:

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

Yeh, I just realised I can summarise everything thus:

Konoha: Naruto returns. Is told he has to fight Kakashi in order to be rated. Goes out to training field. Attempts to use a kage bunshin shuriken, fails. Attempts kage bunshin taijutsu attacks, fails. Attempts "finger in ass" technique, fails. Uses Rasengan.

Konoha: Konohamaru & co are all genin now. Sakura hits really hard. Shikamaru is a teacher, chuunin. My favourite chick of them all, Temaru, is a jounin, and a teacher.

Sand village: Gaara is kazekage. 2 figures approach wall. 1 sand ninja kills all others. Sasori flies around on bird, and drops 3 spiders to take out sentries. Lands in front of Gaara.


That is 3 episodes of content!? Wtf.

[cool2burn]

Yep its real deep so far!

[ACE2001]

Well...in all fairness, the anime is following the manga right now, so you can expect a little lull here and there. After all, this is what the Naruto fans have been waiting for. It's actually kind of funny that some people still have gripes with it. Now that the Naruto anime has gone away from the fillers (which had more fun and upbeat episodes) you can expect Shippuden to definately move at a more slower pace as far as action and story content is concerned. Don't worry, the good parts are coming. :)

[Kusunagi]

Yep its real deep so far!


lmao

[SamIam]

Well...in all fairness, the anime is following the manga right now, so you can expect a little lull here and there. After all, this is what the Naruto fans have been waiting for. It's actually kind of funny that some people still have gripes with it. Now that the Naruto anime has gone away from the fillers (which had more fun and upbeat episodes) you can expect Shippuden to definately move at a more slower pace as far as action and story content is concerned. Don't worry, the good parts are coming. :)


True ... but the gripe that most seem to have (including myself) is that for something like half the present series, the content has been fluff/filler. If the producers followed the manga, then I think all conerned would be happy campers ... I mean really, I can understand wanting to milk a series ... ( I was a huge fan of classic Fist of the North Star mooooooooo!)

... but come on ... 100 eps of improv?

[ACE2001]

I think the reason for the absurd amount of fillers is that the anime was catching up to manga quickly, so it was necessary to add some space between the anime. I'm pretty sure no one thought that there would be so much filler over a long period of time. Now that it's over, everyone is expecting the action like right now! Let's get it started. Nah, the anime at this point is following the manga to a T. This is what the big wait is for and now a few people are disappointed? I mean what gives? You don't like it because there is too much filler, now you don't like it because the story is moving a little slow by following the manga? (Not going against anyone here in particular) It's like a lose, lose situation. Only three episodes have aired so far and the fans still have the fillers fresh on the mind, hence the anticipation and over eagerness. I think that once everyone just settle down a little and get into the actual storyline, they will enjoy the pacing because the filler will be far behind at this point.

[SamIam]

I think the reason for the absurd amount of fillers is that the anime was catching up to manga quickly, so it was necessary to add some space between the anime. I'm pretty sure no one thought that there would be so much filler over a long period of time. Now that it's over, everyone is expecting the action like right now! Let's get it started. Nah, the anime at this point is following the manga to a T. This is what the big wait is for and now a few people are disappointed? I mean what gives? You don't like it because there is too much filler, now you don't like it because the story is moving a little slow by following the manga? (Not going against anyone here in particular) It's like a lose, lose situation. Only three episodes have aired so far and the fans still have the fillers fresh on the mind, hence the anticipation and over eagerness. I think that once everyone just settle down a little and get into the actual storyline, they will enjoy the pacing because the filler will be far behind at this point.

I see your point and its valid IMO, the conflict arises here I think from lack of balance and lack of information. Of course there will be those who say that hindsight is 20/20, but I would say that a bit more shrewd planning on the part of the producers could have used the "lull" to better effect.

Thus, the "filler" episodes could have been value added in other ways, which would give the viewer better insight into the series or perhaps characters that would not have had airtime otherwise.

... and as for following the manga to the T ... thats fine for moderately paced work, but looses much of its effect for slower premeditated material. Case in point, take Lord of the Rings ... immense literary trilogy (with alot of added material in the form of histories and secondary stories) condensed down to 3 movies. This admittingly extreme example was used to point out the possibilities and advantages of using the strengths of moving imagery with sound ... if used correctly, the anime series would add a dimension of dynamic reality that the printed manga could only hint at by means of movement symbology and graphic conventions to denote a non static universe.

Keep in mind that most fans tend to be quite forgiving in the long run ... the loud and ernest complaining usually only occurs when the producers start to really abuse the nature of captive audiences.

[cool2burn]

True but at least make up a filler storyline just dont give us a million eps that are just random.

[ACE2001]

Hmm...I understand what you're saying SamIam. Another reason I believe, for the amount of fillers was the fact that the producers were going off the adrenaline of the fans themselves. I'm sure that the producers thought hey, lets feed them more Naruto, that'll keep them happy. You have to remember that although the fillers were constantly airing, they were still getting high ratings for the time slot that they were in. I'm pretty sure if the the ratings for the fillers were to drop significantly, then the fillers would've stopped at that point. The producers probably worked hand and hand with the manga team to ensure the fact that the anime didn't catch up to the manga. Bottom line is, as unecessary as the constant fillers may have been, they still garnered enough high ratings to keep them afloat. It kept Naruto relevant for a long time, now they have made it to the stretch. Shippuden is more or less for the fans whom had to the patience to wait and see when the actual storyline would materialize.

[SamIam]

ahhh ... forgot about the old ratings game ... that makes sense, if the series appears to be doing well in the ratings then all is well in the world.

Add to this that the viewing audience may have a more limited perspective on Naruto in that they may not be following the manga and thus not have a comparative reference to a possible existing storyline.

Although, my single pet peeve of these "filler" stories is that there is a blatent ... downgrading? of character development. ... at the end of the authentic manga converted anime, the main characters (naruto etal. show huge gains and great potential ... then comes the filler stuff and then the protagonists seem to be wet behind the ears genin. Though not essential to the storyline, I think I would have enjoyed more elaboration on how insane the training regimen was (and is) for the main characters ... in this regard, it seems that only Rock Lee works at it ... by comparison everyone else loafs (which is true to some extent ... but overdone IMO)

[ACE2001]

Yeah, I think the producers actually "dumbed" down the filler episodes to bring in new fans and to still manage to satisfy the current ones to an extent. Although there were plenty of fillers, they were never repetitive. They were actually fun to watch in extent to whereas people kept watching to see what crazy things will happen to Naruto and gang. Obviously the producers felt comfortable in sacrificing the main storyline thus replacing the storyline with a more "lighter" tone. I must admit that they had a LOT of confidence in themselves (or possibly arrogance) to keep shelling out these fillers for over a year. In the end, the ratings don't lie. Now the ratings will get even higher as they are now moving towards the actual storyline. You can say that by the producers somewhat teasing the fans with the filler episodes, they ended up garnering not only more fans but alot more interest in how things will turn out. This turned out to be more or less a profitable move for them IMO.

[eva2000]

I think the reason for the absurd amount of fillers is that the anime was catching up to manga quickly, so it was necessary to add some space between the anime. I'm pretty sure no one thought that there would be so much filler over a long period of time. Now that it's over, everyone is expecting the action like right now! Let's get it started. Nah, the anime at this point is following the manga to a T. This is what the big wait is for and now a few people are disappointed? I mean what gives? You don't like it because there is too much filler, now you don't like it because the story is moving a little slow by following the manga? (Not going against anyone here in particular) It's like a lose, lose situation. Only three episodes have aired so far and the fans still have the fillers fresh on the mind, hence the anticipation and over eagerness. I think that once everyone just settle down a little and get into the actual storyline, they will enjoy the pacing because the filler will be far behind at this point.
But for folks like me who don't read the manga.. it's perceived as slow compared to the fillers :o

fillers vs original Manga storyline don't mean anything to some folks heh

[umoa]

OMG~ joyous day~ :D

[ACE2001]

But for folks like me who don't read the manga.. it's perceived as slow compared to the fillers :o

fillers vs original Manga storyline don't mean anything to some folks heh

True, but the producers mentioned the fact that Shippuden was moving more towards the manga storyline, thus all the exciting fillers were going to be put aside for the more...how can I say "mature" storyline of Naruto. I'm pretty sure that most, if not all people who watch Naruto have read at least some of the manga. It's easily accessible on the internet so I couldn't imagine otherwise.

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

True, but the producers mentioned the fact that Shippuden was moving more towards the manga storyline, thus all the exciting fillers were going to be put aside for the more...how can I say "mature" storyline of Naruto. I'm pretty sure that most, if not all people who watch Naruto have read at least some of the manga. It's easily accessible on the internet so I couldn't imagine otherwise.


A lot of people arent interesting in reading comics online. Its very boring. Webcomics are designed to be short, 1 page stories. Constantly having to swap pages can be a pain. It damages immersion. Hell, when I read a book I dont even realise Im reading sometimes. Pages get moves by themselves. No load time, no aligning a mouse arrow to a button. As an anime fan I should not be funding your habits. (Yes, I have a deepset hatred for manga fans. Filthy vermin clogging the bookstore aisles sitting on the floor reading the latest manga for free then putting it back on the shelf). If an anime is produced, the anime should be sustained.

Its not just the ENTIRE YEAR of filler. Its the way the entire immersion was hacked up by throwing non-canon crap all over the scene (a rasengan that can be thrown? wtf?) and the knowing that they're going to do it again. Just as soon as Shippuden catches up to, or gets close to the manga again, will we once more be subjected to scenes of raining Naruto pee? To watching as an entire mission is ballsed up because of a fart?

I did like the development of Hinata, Sakura and Anko. I did like that Naruto had to deal with a person dying and grow from it. I didn't like Naruto constantly being beaten after using a lame kage bunshin attack, only to be saved by someone not even Genin level.

As a B5 fan, I know that sometimes filler is neccesary. As a lover of all things creative however, I have no respect for the manner in which Naruto is handled (too many flashbacks, 1-2mins of recap at begining of eps, too many consecutive filler eps that arent even canon)

[ACE2001]

A lot of people arent interesting in reading comics online. Its very boring. Webcomics are designed to be short, 1 page stories. Constantly having to swap pages can be a pain. It damages immersion. Hell, when I read a book I dont even realise Im reading sometimes. Pages get moves by themselves. No load time, no aligning a mouse arrow to a button. As an anime fan I should not be funding your habits. (Yes, I have a deepset hatred for manga fans. Filthy vermin clogging the bookstore aisles sitting on the floor reading the latest manga for free then putting it back on the shelf). If an anime is produced, the anime should be sustained.

Its not just the ENTIRE YEAR of filler. Its the way the entire immersion was hacked up by throwing non-canon crap all over the scene (a rasengan that can be thrown? wtf?) and the knowing that they're going to do it again. Just as soon as Shippuden catches up to, or gets close to the manga again, will we once more be subjected to scenes of raining Naruto pee? To watching as an entire mission is ballsed up because of a fart?

I did like the development of Hinata, Sakura and Anko. I did like that Naruto had to deal with a person dying and grow from it. I didn't like Naruto constantly being beaten after using a lame kage bunshin attack, only to be saved by someone not even Genin level.

As a B5 fan, I know that sometimes filler is neccesary. As a lover of all things creative however, I have no respect for the manner in which Naruto is handled (too many flashbacks, 1-2mins of recap at begining of eps, too many consecutive filler eps that arent even canon)

Hey, isn't reading FUNdamental!! :lol: I understand what you're saying as well. With all the bad points that you managed to point out however, Naruto is garnering huge success right now. It keeps you hooked. Especially towards the younger age bracket. The producers have somewhat a very thin line here. They have to make Naruto "accessible" to the younger audience while at the same time having a more "mature" level of content for the adult audience. It's worked for them so far. I believe that Shippuden will be a huge success for the simple fact that SO many Naruto fans have been clamoring and waiting for this for so long. Yeah, we may get a few crazy Naruto moments here and there, but the story is moving forward and that I believe is what the fans care about. The filler episodes did it's job at keeping the fans hungry enough to a point wereas they won't abandon the series because of the lack of plot movement or too many "random" moments. In the end though, all we can do is just to sit back and let things unfold.

[SamIam]

... speaking of "Non-Canon" stuff or speculation for the future ...

What would be the limits of Naruto in regards to multiplying the Rasengen?

... for example, would it be theoretically possible to have 3 sets of 3 "Narutos" creating 3 separate Rasengen blasts directed from 3 different directions (say an oppoent is in the center of the three groups with each group targeting the foe from an angle separation of 60 degrees)?

... if possible would that mean its power would then be divided by the number of creations (3 Rasengens at 33.3 % power 2 at 50% etc. ... or could it mean that 3 would be at 100% but that it would dangerously deplete Narutos total Charkra ... or could he tap into old 9 tails to make up the difference or even create one that is more powerful than the standard single??

Imagine a possessed Naruto Yelling "Mega" Rasengen ... generating a chakra ball the size of a beach ball!

Meanwhile Juraiya watches on ... the fourth never did that!! ... and his aim is not that good ... Shimata! Everyone ruuuuuuuuunnnnnn.... :lol:

[ACE2001]

... speaking of "Non-Canon" stuff or speculation for the future ...

What would be the limits of Naruto in regards to multiplying the Rasengen?

... for example, would it be theoretically possible to have 3 sets of 3 "Narutos" creating 3 separate Rasengen blasts directed from 3 different directions (say an oppoent is in the center of the three groups with each group targeting the foe from an angle separation of 60 degrees)?

... if possible would that mean its power would then be divided by the number of creations (3 Rasengens at 33.3 % power 2 at 50% etc. ... or could it mean that 3 would be at 100% but that it would dangerously deplete Narutos total Charkra ... or could he tap into old 9 tails to make up the difference or even create one that is more powerful than the standard single??

Imagine a possessed Naruto Yelling "Mega" Rasengen ... generating a chakra ball the size of a beach ball!

Meanwhile Juraiya watches on ... the fourth never did that!! ... and his aim is not that good ... Shimata! Everyone ruuuuuuuuunnnnnn.... :lol:

HAHA!! :lol: :lol: :) That would be very interesting! :lol: Scary thing is that it's quite possible due to his unlimited amount of charkra from the Nine-tails. I don't think the producers nor mangaka would do something that crazy....would they?! :eek: :lol:

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

... speaking of "Non-Canon" stuff or speculation for the future ...

What would be the limits of Naruto in regards to multiplying the Rasengen?

... for example, would it be theoretically possible to have 3 sets of 3 "Narutos" creating 3 separate Rasengen blasts directed from 3 different directions (say an oppoent is in the center of the three groups with each group targeting the foe from an angle separation of 60 degrees)?

... if possible would that mean its power would then be divided by the number of creations (3 Rasengens at 33.3 % power 2 at 50% etc. ... or could it mean that 3 would be at 100% but that it would dangerously deplete Narutos total Charkra ... or could he tap into old 9 tails to make up the difference or even create one that is more powerful than the standard single??

Imagine a possessed Naruto Yelling "Mega" Rasengen ... generating a chakra ball the size of a beach ball!

Meanwhile Juraiya watches on ... the fourth never did that!! ... and his aim is not that good ... Shimata! Everyone ruuuuuuuuunnnnnn.... :lol:

I have given this some thought as well. From what I've read, Rasengan maintains itself once it is formed. As he is able to repeatedly create rasengan (unlike Sasuke and chidori), that would imply that he has the chakra to keep making them.

We know he used 2 rasengan in his battle with Sasuke at the valley of the end. We also know that he doesnt need a clone to make the rasengan if its fox chakra.


Things I dont know: Does creating a kage bunshin deplete the chakra, or does it just temporarily average out the chakra until the bunshin pops? If the bunshin is forcibly popped does the chakra return? What about voluntarily? If it does permanantly deplete the chakra, every bunshin should be capabale of creating rasengan, up to his daily rasengan limit.

And what about that fox chakra anyway? If he could actually master it, would he have unlimited rasengan in exchange for not using the chakra to increase his speed or defense? Cos that must burn a lot of chakra (non self sustaining unlike rasengan. So thats a constant depletion).

At the end of the day, I like Naruto partly for the story, but mostly for the mechanics. I was deeply disappointed in Sasuke's second stage. It was ugly. 2 giant human hands? Why the ---- can't Japan ever make a cool villain? Why tehy always gotta make these weird, retarded monstrositys? Does anyone here actually believe they would deform themselves into a giant slug or some ---- just for some extra ninja powers? Man, anime/manga writers must just not understand the reasons people seek power.

Oh, and Flame of Recca / Hunter X Hunter are way better tales of a kid with a destiny powering up. Flame of Recca had a bit of respect for sidekicks, and interesting villains, whilst Hunter X Hunter had some ever changing mechanics WITHOUT having to keep upgrading ---- till it got ridiculous. (Look at the fillers. Anko is probably weaker than Naruto when he's a 13yo genin. Just compare his 1 tail fox form to her performance when her LIFE is in danger. WEAK)

[HolyWhippet]

Although, my single pet peeve of these "filler" stories is that there is a blatent ... downgrading? of character development. ... at the end of the authentic manga converted anime, the main characters (naruto etal. show huge gains and great potential ... then comes the filler stuff and then the protagonists seem to be wet behind the ears genin.

With the filler they were trying to avoid too much character development as it might contradict the main storyline to follow. The one real exception was Hinata and her "chakra laser beam" technique. That got criticised by some fans as it seemed to be excessively powerful.

[SamIam]

With the filler they were trying to avoid too much character development as it might contradict the main storyline to follow. The one real exception was Hinata and her "chakra laser beam" technique. That got criticised by some fans as it seemed to be excessively powerful.

(sigh) ... then I guess the producers were in a "no win" situation (financial success aside) ... damned if they evolve the characters and damned if they put them in maturational stasis.

hmmmm ... at this point, I don't know what is worse, having period stops in the series in order for the anime to keep pace, or artificial "fillers" ... :(

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

With the filler they were trying to avoid too much character development as it might contradict the main storyline to follow. The one real exception was Hinata and her "chakra laser beam" technique. That got criticised by some fans as it seemed to be excessively powerful.


by "some". In a world with 6 billion souls there will always be "some".

Those "some" can go suck on an iceberg. They are stupid trash fans that aren't needed. The sort of dipshits who like shows to be filled with insider jokes, and magazines filled with insider knowledge just so that they can think they're somehow special.

Hinata's defensive move doesn't seem all that powerful at all. It is more like chakra whips than laser beams imo (she bends them). She can only defend against individual items. So gas/fire/water etc attacks would pass through.

Whiney ------- basement nerds who keep the rest of us in the dark and childish ages just so that they can relive being 13 all over again. Well too bad, Magic:TG is no longer cool and neither is filler ----. (Just look at Losts' ratings for an idea of how much people hate filler)

[Kaneda]

Episode 5? is there some sort of special or something coming out? where is it?

[ACE2001]

Nope. Nothing like that. The next episode won't air in Japan until March 15. Also, episode 6 and 7 won't be airing until March 29, which will be a one-hour special. Basically, TV Tokyo is airing Shippuden every two weeks instead weekly.

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

Ya. We're 4 episodes in, and the sequences which began in ep 1 are only just starting to conclude.
It doesnt help that I get impatient and go to wiki.

[shikamaru_san]

Nope. Nothing like that. The next episode won't air in Japan until March 15. Also, episode 6 and 7 won't be airing until March 29, which will be a one-hour special. Basically, TV Tokyo is airing Shippuden every two weeks instead weekly.

Man, that sucks eggs. I wonder why they're doing that. anyone have any idea?

[Kaneda]

If anything the quality will be a bit better. No more headless Naruto's.
Hey Answerman - AnimeNewsNetwork.com (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2007-03-02)

[ACE2001]

Haha! I remember seeing that last week. That picture is totally pricless. I mean, how can the producers let something like that air on TV!? :eek: :lol: Now things like that won't happen. They can take their time with Shippuden. :)

[SamIam]

Man, I've almost forgotten the agony of a new series in all of its "real time" glacial progress ... the one advantage for getting things later is that the series is usually farther along or even complete by the time we were made aware of it ... oh well, time to go back into the cryo suspension unit again ... hmmm ... set the timer for 2025 ... to check the progress on Naruto etal.

Yawwwwwn .....

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

Damn straight. 5 episodes and Naruto has only just left the ------- forest, and Gaara is still fighting Deidara.
I'd also like to note, that both Gaara and Deidara's abilities are making me yawn. Ohhh look at the birdy dodge, and dodge, and dodge some more. God, Im getting sleepy just thinking about it. What happened to chakra exhaustion? Suddenly kakashi can use sharingan all night (didnt he wanna pass out after only a few minutes against zabuza?).

[ACE2001]

Haha!! :lol: I think you're expecting too much, too soon from Shippuden. This storyline isn't going to be as high energy as the previous storylines. This a more..."mature" Naruto. It's starting off slow, but the story will pick up. Just give a fair amount of time. :)

[SamIam]

Haha!! :lol: I think you're expecting too much, too soon from Shippuden. This storyline isn't going to be as high energy as the previous storylines. This a more..."mature" Naruto. It's starting off slow, but the story will pick up. Just give a fair amount of time. :)

psssst ... the secret to "series sanity" is to engage as many manga and anime at the same time ... say 20 manga and 15 current anime series simultaneously ... thereby keeping up a steady flow of entertainment ... so far the only down side is accidentally "blending" them :lol:

Sam

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

If i had the internet at home I'd probably keep watching other stuff as Sam suggests. However as it is, Naruto is the *only* anime I am watching atm.

As for giving it time..well didn't I give them a year or more whilst I suffered through tales of princesses wanting to marry fat weird guys?
Ahhh, Ino, marry me !

[SamIam]

If i had the internet at home I'd probably keep watching other stuff as Sam suggests. However as it is, Naruto is the *only* anime I am watching atm.

As for giving it time..well didn't I give them a year or more whilst I suffered through tales of princesses wanting to marry fat weird guys?
Ahhh, Ino, marry me !

...lets not forget the comic relief here ... a boy who could pee gallons just to make a gag for the show! ...or for that matter a whole episode centered on the perverse notion of keeping naruto from the crapper ... until the inevitable happens. :rolleyes:

[Super_cyp]

Yeh, I just realised I can summarise everything thus:

Konoha: Naruto returns. Is told he has to fight Kakashi in order to be rated. Goes out to training field. Attempts to use a kage bunshin shuriken, fails. Attempts kage bunshin taijutsu attacks, fails. Attempts "finger in ass" technique, fails. Uses Rasengan.

Konoha: Konohamaru & co are all genin now. Sakura hits really hard. Shikamaru is a teacher, chuunin. My favourite chick of them all, Temaru, is a jounin, and a teacher.

Sand village: Gaara is kazekage. 2 figures approach wall. 1 sand ninja kills all others. Sasori flies around on bird, and drops 3 spiders to take out sentries. Lands in front of Gaara.


That is 3 episodes of content!? Wtf.

One thing the guy flying isn't Sasori, its Deidara. It definately does move incredibly slow. Of course they had to decide to have a 2 week gap again. *sigh* its so frustrating anyhow episodes 6 and 7 are aired this friday I think yay! :D

[Pengi_Ken-Ohki]

Right, my bad. I knew Deidara was the blonde, but for some reason I keep writing "Sasori" cos I prefer the name or something. Weird.

[SamIam]

... okay, I just picked up the asian package set 197-220 ... and so we have the transition to the new arc including an amusing instructional that graphically depicts the actual growth level of the "older" naruto ... hahaha

Now the ball gets rolling (if slowly) ... not my question is where is the storyline now in terms of the anime ... 235? or thereabouts and is there any revelations or additional information on Akatsuki (Red Dawn) ... this mysterious group has had me hooked and intrigued from its first mention! ... Any group that considers Orochimaru the "weak sister" is a force to be reckoned with ... I mean really, the normally canny Orochimaru actually admits to being afraid of Itachi!

If Itachi is any indicator of the relative level of power of the Dawn members then the rest of the world is in ALOT of trouble ...

[Bishdariel]

i think that itachi is one of the strongest among akatsuki.
orochimaru is more the smart guy and not so much the fighter type. he knows a lot of jutsus and he can invent some more. itachis partner seems to be more of a fighting machine.
i would also like to know more about the not so well known members of the group. there are still a lot of mysterious characters. :)