Naruto Vol. 20- Light Vs. Dark (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)OK, some may ask how somebody adds a review about something that has not been released yet. Well, frankly speaking my intention is more to inform Naruto fans rather than providing a typical review (Spoilers INCLUDED!!!).
To begin with, I am able to watch the shows from were I currently live, outside the US, and in the US the shows are rather far behind. Second, a reviewer of Box set 5, correctly stated that currently the shows have surpassed the 200 episodes. If my memory serves me well, Naruto currently has reached 223 episodes; plus the two movies with which most of you are informed with. Thing is that I am collecting the episodes through Amazon and the way they sell it will most probably take forever to complete it.
Now, judging from the cover it most probably will be the DVD that will cover the fight between Gara vs. Sasuke, inside a forest, and when he fails to beat Gara - even with his dark powers - Naruto will take on the fight in which he will employ his Clone Jutsu, the evocation powers - something that he learned before the final exams (you should probably see it in Box Set nr. 6) and of course his fox powers. In this fight Gara will reveal his true nature and after loosing close to Naruto something changes. For the first time he will realize that the strongest power to fight for, is LOVE and protecting others and not hate. Something that will be reflected in his change of behavior as well. Unfortunately, on the other hand, Sasuke will realize how really strong Naruto is and compared to him - and in his way, meaning the way he sees things - Sasuke will consider himself as weak.
In other words, this DVD - assuming that my assumption is accurate and it refers to this battle (always judging from its cover) - is one of the major turning points in the Naruto series for two reasons. 1) Gara starts to change (and in episodes 230+) we will also see that he is considered a true friend by Naruto and that is why he will also rush to help him in time of need and 2. This is the starting point that will lead to the famous great fight between Naruto (at that time he will have mastered the ONE TAIL FOX POWER and NOT all nine of them) and Sasuke's ultimate dark side.
As for the extras and judging from the DVDs that have been released so far, they will be respectively the same as the ones they put in the current DVDs.
Well, one thing is for sure with Naruto: that the story does constantly evolve, gets more and more interesting and better, never boring, plus we see that Naruto's and Hinana's feelings start to develop (although till now I don't know who will end up with whom).
I hope that I could help...
PS: As for the ones of you who just stumbled across this show, I highly recommend it!


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Naruto, Vol. 1 - Enter Naruto (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, you've probably read by now many of the hate-filled reviews by many die-hard Naruto fans who have loved the show long before it came to Cartoon Network's Toonami a while ago. I'm one of those die-hard fans. But, I'm here to try and give an unbiased review.
First of all let me say that yes, I am with those many that hate what has been done with the Naruto series here in America. I hate Naruto's every-other-sentence, "believe it", I hate Shino's voice actor, I hate the editing, yada-yada-yada I hate a lot about it you get the point and you've heard all of that before. But let me say, that for those who do not have access to the subbed version(particularly now that it is licensed and therefore some people would be deterred because that's illegal) they might find this quite an enjoyable show.
Naruto, at it's core, is good. That point is arguable only by osmeone who has underanalyzed Naruto. Naruto takes the long showcased subject of Japanese shinobi(or ninja) and turned it into something quite original. There are over thirty characters in the show, each with their own UNIQUE skills, personalities, and flaws. Take Rock Lee for example, definitely one of my favorite characters because he is incapable of using magic or illusions in battle, and therefore has relied completely on hand-to-hand combat. But since he has been extremely determined to prove him self on equal standing with the other ninja, he has become quite powerful.
Sasuke is the show's heart-throb, always one-upping Naruto and, though he's on his team, manages to be his friend and rival all at the same time. Up until far later in the episodes(where they start filling in a time skip in the manga with "fillers") the show is consistent and the plot keeps rolling along with new elements and twists, character developments, and pretty important to me, their strength. It isn't a DBZ-like approach where every time they beat an enemy a new stronger one comes, then they get stronger. It is a more realistic approach, witht he main characters and their allies under the shadow of their teachers and their most powerful allies whom they can't even hope to go against at their current levels, training to try and become close to a match.
This series has creativity, originality, great action, great story, great character development, and that all makes it a very good show. However, the flaws in the English dubbing are quite apparent. I've heard many many dubbings in my day, and I really must say that this one is quite bad(I can't say it's the worse when I still remember One Piece). The voices of the original anime help to define the character, they do a good job of suiting each character's personality, but I don't think that's the case here on the English version. It's quite apparent that these voices do not suit the characters, and that the show suffers from the changes made to it.
When all is said and done, I must say that it still manages to be a pretty good show, especially for those who are not so used to the English subtitles. The original Naruto series gets a 5/5, and the English, a 3/5. I suggest, like others here, you check out the original. It's almost a different show. Trust me, you'll thank me.
Dattebayo.

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Episodes 1-4 Deep within the Hidden Leaf Village, sharp and cunning Ninja carry amazing talents and powers while Naruto Uzumaki carries an amazing secret.Twelve years ago, the fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to save the village by sealing the Nine-tailed Fox Spirit inside this orphaned newborn.Now, this plucky prankster must do what it takes to achieve his life-long goal to become the next Hokage!

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