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Rating: 6.5/10

Impressions:

They spent half the time talking…sheesh. I had hoped that a battle would mean no more time-wasting nonsense and actual fighting (which there is some, though not much). I can’t remember what happens with this part of the story, so at least my anticipation is keeping my interest levels high enough. I’m not sure I would be able to say the same if the pace continues to be this slow. Episode 22 seems to be a double episode, I would laugh if that still gets the story nowhere. I haven’t seen episode 21 yet, though as you can see I am catching up (probably because I have nothing much to say each post—Naruto is just progressing far too slowly).

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Popularity: 14% [?]

Rating: 7.5/10

Impressions:

This episode is actually pretty good, mainly due to the action and above average quality. The short scenes of Gai’s team fighting each other were done pretty well, and finally, the show has reached the point where Sakura gets to fight for real. Although this episode still has a lot of padding which contributes to the pacing issue, it’s not as noticeable. There’s a new ED as well, one which I like a lot better than the previous. I find it quite amusing actually, because I think I’d like to see an anime version of that manga depicted in the ED sequence, rather than Naruto itself. xD

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Rating: 6.5/10

Impressions:

I guess the targeted audiences in Japan must like it when something seems complicated but is ACTUALLY NOT. *surprise* They broke the rock. Wow. Even though I already knew it would take a whole episode to break a goddamn rock with their team of two Jounins, multiple chuunins, ninja-granny and Jinchuuriki, it was still saddening to see it play out. Once again, I watched it at double speed so it kinda feels alright. I’m not saying I’m hating Naruto or anything with my low scores either. I’m just expecting a lot more from it. I enjoy the manga quite a bit, but the anime has so far been a let down.

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Rating: 6/10

Impressions:

LOL omg this episode was very eventful indeed! It covers EVERYTHING from when Kakashi’s and Gai’s teams are moving through the forest, and ALL THE WAY to when they reach the rock. But seriously, at least I didn’t find this episode as boring as the recent Bleach filler. Although Bleach actually had a story, it was total crap. At least this episode of Naruto has some character development, though it’s been far too overused. Heh, the jinchuuriki extraction reminds me of one of those ridiculously long Freezer transformations from DBZ, or one of Goku’s old spirit bomb charge sequences. The pace is seriously killing me (and I watched this episode at double speed).

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Rating: 6.5/10

Impressions:

Heh, nothing actually happens in this episode…really, NOTHING. Wow, the pace is just insanely slow, especially since this is yet another interlude between battles where all that’s meant to happen is explanations. I seriously think it’s unnecessary now but we get some more Naruto character development in the being lonely department. The quality continues to be decent, so that makes for one good thing I can say. I’m itching to see the battle between baa-chan/Sakura and the other guy (lol remembering names is not my thing). Hmm, the title of episode 20 sounds promising…

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Popularity: 10% [?]

Rating: 6.8/10

Impressions:

Finally, the two simultaneous battles have finished, with this episode taking the number of manga chapters covered to almost 16. What the fights lacked in pure high quality action are made up by the various characters’ contributions and skill usage, though I wonder if fights like these get old for those who’ve watched Naruto since the beginning. I don’t really count the manga since manga fights are pretty hard to follow, which I usually skip anyway, since action should be reserved for animated mediums (IMO). Overall, the past few episodes have been quite enjoyable, though it is clear that the pace has been reduced to snail-pace.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Rating:9/10

Impressions:

This episode turns out to be pretty interesting, with good use of the flashback with Naruto and ‘Ero-sennin’. Gai’s gate releases are pretty impressive as well, and right now I really want to see some good ass-kicking (since equal fights aren’t really my thing). This episode covers about 1.5 chapters, and I seriously hope the rest of the volume can be covered in the next two episodes. The pacing is getting highly tiresome, and the fights going on aren’t exactly that good. The good thing is that the animation quality is staying at a consistent above average.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Rating: 8.7/10

Impressions:

Being mostly an action episode, this episode is a lot more exciting than the previous ones. Naruto and co. as well as Gai’s team finally get some action, and it’s a good thing that Akatsuki actually seem to be human and are able to be defeated. However, the battle suffers from too much talking and the poor execution of Gai’s memory failure gag xD! It’s a good thing that fighting can always be dragged out without much consequence, unless it’s overdone far too much, such as the initial battle between Deidara and Gaara (which did not start this new Naruto series very well). Hopefully the battle will continue to be well animated and exciting, and not be stretched too much.

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Popularity: 16% [?]