Naruto Shippuuden - Well...

Written by DJH4311 on July 20, 2011 at 2:53 PM

Story wise, the Shippuuden arc of the Naruto series expands on the localised setting of the original run. This allows the characters to branch out in experiences, allowing themselves to show that they have grown in the three years since the original running anime concluded. The world stage, instead of expanding upon, is now including places and people previously only mentioned in back story and side information. As stated, three years have passed. The story shows this by taking the characters through a series of ever more maturity inducing events that begin to shape them as the adults they will soon become.

Dialogue wise, they have kept the original voice actors for each of the characters. Whilst the Japanese actors easily handle the change over, the English actors fall down at the standards set by their counterparts. Yes the actors worked when the characters were younger, simply because their voices suited their age. However, now that the characters have matured, if only by a small amount for some, keeping the same voices for English dialogue without adjusting the pitch is more off putting then it should be, but some things are hard to blot out if you are aware of the changes that should be occurring. The Japanese actors deliver their lines with the tones that have become associated with the characters they portray, but are also able to bring new tones forward to show the ever growing maturity that is been developed.

The animation ranges from dazzling battles that are quick and fanciful with fluid water like character movements, to slow simple still frame movement poses and blur lines. Some of the arcs are full of amazing animation, they character's movements flowing over the screen as they battle for their very lives, really pulling you in and making you feel each movement, almost pulling you enough to make you start trying to dodge and attack with them, ducking about in your chair. Other arcs are dismal, simple "back up team" animations that are choppy and only a few animation frames away from stop animation practises.

Entertainment wise, Naruto, like Bleach and any other long running Anime that is created from a still running Manga, is pot marked by the ugly rearing twin heads that are collectively called "Filler Arcs". Whilst some of these fillers are genuinely interesting, and expand the already available background knowledge of the world created by the original author, other fillers leave you wanting to pull your teeth, forcefully wishing for the arc to end to get back to the original plot. The original story (disregarding "filler arcs"), is more of a tale of maturing in a time of turmoil, dealing with devastating loss and how the namesake lead effects those around him, then a battle for recognition by the peers around you, slowly changing their perceptions and proving that you're just as human as they are. This leads many fans of the original series adrift, lost without the previous theme. Shippuuden is attempting to show the cast as people who are maturing and growing with the experiences that the ever growing more unfriendly world hurls in their direction.

In all, Naruto Shippuuden can be an interesting watch, but the random fillers hastily written to give the original Manga time to create a buffer, really can take away from the overall experience. It can be worth a watch, if you want to expand upon the universe that has been established in the previous series but don't come looking with expectations that this show is identical to the original anime. This is a tale of dark situations, momentous losses and the thin sliver of hope that must be searched for if any chance is to be had.