Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto part ways to begin training with separate sensei. Plus, take a trip back in time to finally learn the true story of Kakashi's greatest secret!
Masashi Kishimoto (岸本斉史 Kishimoto Masashi) is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series O-Parts Hunter (666 Satan) and Blazer Drive. Two of his former assistants, Osamu Kajisa (Tattoo Hearts) and Yuuichi Itakura (Hand's), have also gone on to moderate success following their work on Naruto.
Kishimoto's first work as a manga artist was Karakuri (カラクリ?), which he submitted to Shueisha in 1995. This earned him the Weekly Shōnen Jump's monthly "Hop Step Award" in 1996, granted to promising new manga artists. This was followed in 1997 by a pilot version of Naruto (NARUTO-ナルト-), published in Akamaru Jump Summer. In 1998, Kishimoto premiered as a Weekly Shōnen Jump artist with a serialized version of Karakuri in Weekly Shōnen Jump, but it proved unpopular and was canceled soon after. In 1999, a serialized version of Naruto began publication in Weekly Shōnen Jump and quickly became a hit.
Say goodbye, Naruto, and let's welcome in an extended flashback to our favorite copy ninja, Kakashi! Did anyone expect him to be such a stickler for rules as a kiddo?
So, after reading this the first time, I was overwhelmed by a desire to find a point to this sequence. Much, much later, the life and death of Obito takes on a much different aspect than just being the source of Kakashi's left eye. No spoilers.
I'm not certain this really qualifies as a complaint, but so many things have happened between this gaiden and the final story arc that it should have been easy to forget this volume. Maybe I'm just fooling myself. Everyone is usually very interested in Kakashi's past, or even what he looks like under that mask. What wasn't immediately obvious was the importance it held for much later. (Was this planned, or is it Kishimoto taking advantage of story elements? Who knows.)
The end of part one of this narrative, and also one of the best and underrated bits of foreshadowing in storytelling history with Team Minato. Kishimoto does not get enough credit as a writer. Naruto is a hugely popular series with millions of fans around the world, but many people would foolishly describe this series as nothing more than popcorn fun. Bullshit. There are so many examples of masterful storytelling in Naruto. It's so much more than mindless, addictive action with cool character designs. This series is a marvel.
So basically I wanted to read up until Shippuden. Since I haven't seen that, except for the anime up until this, I'll stop here. Also forgot to mention that not a fan of Sasuke's form in the last one. I don't know, just something about the art design.
Anyway, this one was good as it showed what the characters would be up to, or will do, etc and then it seems something's going to happen since we got a hint at Itachi and more like him. That I'm curious as to what that's about and what will happen in the next volumes.
From volume 1 to this, it had its up and downs but at the same time it was a good to really good reads. Either watch the anime or read this. And yes, Naruto, well, the series does get better once we meet the other characters from the other Ninja clans. That for me is when I started liking this.
It's the grand fight: Sasuke versus Naruto! Both of them have their resolutions ultimately planned out and it's the higher level of rage and power that decides which one of them gets their wish. Sasuke wants to leave the village train with a bad guy, and Naruto wants to stop him. This volume tells of the fight between 2 best friends as they battle it out using demonic powers that are extremely dangerous and hard to control. Eventually, it seems that for the story to move on, Sasuke was able to flee. However, each action that was symbolic, such as Sasuke putting on the village headband, made the resolution of the characters stronger. I should learn to pay more attention to the actions each character does.
A surprisingly enjoyable interlude, mostly because of Kakashi's backstory - it's quite nuanced and tragic, and really cool. Though Kishimoto's world is really an unthinkingly cruel one, with child soldiers left to fight without much guidance and only some rigid rules that just don't make that much sense. I know this is where the tragedy of Obito and Kakashi stems from, but it's just lazy writing to me. Which leads me to my point: although superficially fun, the world of Naruto really is one of the grimmer manga universes I visited - I wonder if it's intentional or just Kishimoto was so busy ramping up tension that he simply didn't think of the wider consequences to his creation. Looks like all those villages do nothing but fight and kill each other, and produce more and more killing machines in the form of child ninja soldiers. Yeah, there's talk of treaties and alliances, but mostly the action revolves either around killing people or silly fart jokes.
To be fair, though, who analyses the socio-political ramifications of a teenage shonen? Besides me, that is ;)
The first half is basically the end of the original Naruto series.
Naruto vows to get sasuke back. Sakura decides not to be useless anymore. Sasuke decides to train under evil. And everyone else promises they'll never fail again. So in a way this is goodbye to the childhoods they once had. On the flipside we have Kakashi whole backstory here and it's pretty damn fun. I always enjoyed this, and found it a cool way to learn about the past of a few major characters in the series.
While not a fantastic volume a good closure. Not to jump into the 2nd part of naurto. Let's see if it's better.
Avec ce tome sublime s’achève la première partie de Naruto. Elle aura toujours une place privilégiée dans mon parce qu’elle m’a accompagné durant mon enfance et a forgé mes plus beaux souvenirs. Mais la qualité de la narration est impressionnante. Les arcs s’enchaînent à vitesse grand V et tout ne fait que devenir plus intense et magnifique. L’évolution du personnage de Naruto est cohérente, subtile et pertinente, ça s’additionne à merveille avec l’écriture de Sasuke (qui est excessivement bien écrit tout le long de cette première partie).
La force absolue de ces premiers tomes c’est l’écriture de tous les genins et les liens qui se tissent entre eux. Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Neji, Gaara, Temari….quand tu ajoutes les personnages adultes qui ont des opportunités de briller comme Itachi, Haku, Kakashi et le trio légendaire, ça fait une poignée de personnages sublimes qu’on suit avec intérêt et émotion.
C’est l’esprit shonen à l’état pur, l’idée que la détermination nous permet de tout braver et l’idée que l’amitié et les liens qu’on tisse avec ceux qu’on aiment nous rendent invincible. Inconsciemment j’en ai peut-être fait tout mon credo tout le long de ma vie.
This volume essentially serves as an epilogue to the previous volume's events and also serves us with an intriguing flashback story arc for Kakashi while introducing us to an important character in his life.
I didn't expect this volume to do anything more than tease things to come as well as entertain me in one way or another.
Everyone looks forward to becoming stronger after the insane battles they went through and things are about to get quite hectic soon! Can't wait to enter the world of Shippuuden!
He llorado y me he emocionado con la adolescencia de Kakashi y su amistad con Obito Uchiha. Que emocionante todos volviendo a la época de Naruto van a entrenar para ser mas fuertes. Sakura va a ser la aprendiz de Tsunade, es maravilloso. Ella reune las cualidades necesarias para ser ninja medico.
´´Los que rompen las reglas ninja son escoria, pero los que abandonan a los compañeros son peor que escoria ´´-Obito Uchiha
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was an awesome book for anyone who likes Manga and Naruto it was the second or third manga that I have read and I think it was my favorite I liked how it explained Kakashi's Sharingan and how he got it I never knew thats how he got his Sharingan and I'm already to Shippuuden in the Anime.
Vol. 27 is definitely the best Naruto volume so far. Valley of the End battle aftermath is downright awesome, and sad, really sad one. I sympathize a lot with a certain brooding spiky-haired boy, his decision in this volume turns Naruto series towards darker friend-turns-foe plot-line.