What They Say:
The legendary Ama no Hoko imbues the Nine Tails’ clone with enough power to destroy the world. Naruto is overcome by its immense power and lies unconscious.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
If ever there was an awkward bit of timing when it comes to doing an arc, this one certainly would fit. With the series taking a break due to the holidays, the final installment of the Power arc took a bit longer to get here and it certainly doesn’t impact the presentation overall from it, once again painting this as a piece that will really shine when it’s shown as a single viewing session. The storyline has had its slow parts due to it essentially being a movie and following that structure, but it’s all built up to here now as Naruto has to face something very, very powerful – a clone of the Nine Tales with even more power than one could imagine it having due to the Ama no Hoko’s meddling.
Not surprisingly, the finale goes for a good mix of action and drama, with most of the drama centered on the characters specific to this arc, such as the sensei and the kids, as they try to figure out how to stop the device that’s counting down. There’s some tense moments as the adults go on about what needs to be done and the cost of it all, but it gets additional tension due to the way that we see the battle unfolding outside as the powered-up clone is getting ever stronger out there, enough so that you can see a glimmer of panic in Kakashi’s eye over it all. The balance of the two sides works well as it shifts moer to what Naruto must done, giving it a kind of feeling that feels appropriately big yet not out of the realm of reality within the context of the series.
Similar to most of the movies though, as it goes on, it has a good flow and feel to it but you know that it doesn’t have any larger impact. The story with the supporting cast that’s new here is quite well done and it hits some good emotional keys throughout, especially when sacrifice truly enters the picture, and seeing it all play out against a more science fiction oriented backdrop is certainly intriguing. Naruto’s aspect works well, but it’s still not the main thrust of things even as the fight unfolds throughout the episode. It’s more psychological for him in a way, making clearer what’s going on with that internal struggle through a new angle, so it works well but still doesn’t resonate in the same way as what the adults are going through.
In Summary:
The conclusion to Power is pretty much as you’d expected based on, well, all the other Naruto movies out there. It works well, hits its high points, looks great and has the right sense of danger but also that pervasive “everything is going to be alright” aspect as well. That’s just part and parcel to this kind of project, but it doesn’t diminish the work. The Power storyline plays with some gaps in the main storyline that work well, enhances and adds to things without making it more complicated or problematic, though I’m sure some will find issues with it. It’s also the kind of “filler” material that really does blow you away as its often better animated than the main series or most other shows running around out there at the time. This is an arc that really deserves its own separate release in order to show off and stand tall among the other Naruto features.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
