Seriousness before the break.
What They Say:
Despite all efforts, Kurama is extracted from Naruto, and ultimately, all the Tailed Beasts are imprisoned inside the Gedo Statue.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The uptick in the show in the last episode or two as the focus shifted more towards Madara now that Obito has been dealt with for the moment has been a plus. With some background material for Gaara throw in for good measure, it’s been a rather enjoyable fight sequence overall with the Tailed Beasts dealing with Madara and his higher level at the moment with what kind of threat he represents. Having him bind each of them now and drawing them in made for a fantastic visual and it really made it clear just what kind of power level they’re dealing with. There’s almost a kind of disbelief over it when you get down to it because it is such a high level when you think about all that’s involved and what we’ve seen over the years.
With the beasts being drawn into what Madara has created, there’s a great moment where things are turned over to Gaara as he’s managed to stay on the outside and Kurama ejects Naruto from all of it, casting him out onto the ground. He knows the role Naruto must play and entrusts it in very few words to Gaara, leaving them to deal with the Zetsu and Madara. Not surprising is that after such a big opening piece, a lot of the show shifts to planning, dialogue and general slow tension to try and keep things energized as those facing Madara try to figure out what to do to deal with him, especially the remaining reanimated Hokage’s that are around. Sasuke has some decent dialogue with one of them that provides for a little understanding on each side, but also the usual kind of tension that comes from how Sasuke deals with anyone that’s not an Uchiha.
Of course, things have to turn quickly violent along the way, which includes Madara making a move on Sasuke and stabbing him through hard while the others are facing off against other opponents that are raising the stakes with the Gdeo Statue. There are decent bits to this as it moves on, but it also has that slow approach feeling to it where events are drawn out as we run the gamut of people on the field. I do like the time we get that has Sakura working to heal Naruto and Hinata’s realization of what’s going on, which has her wanting to go off and protect him. Though it is drawn out, there are definitely good visual moments, especially towards the end when Madara walks off after what he did to Sasuke, but as this serves as an end to things for the moment, it’s definitely an episode where things go out with a whimper rather than a bang.
In Summary:
With the show going off into other areas for a bit after this, what we get here is a moment of closure on recent events so that it can shift towards the next thing. Not surprisingly, it once again ends with a whimper, which is par for the course with Naruto over the years, which keeps it from really feeling impactful. There are good moments here, such as what Gaara realizes as Kurama entrusts him with Naruto and seeing some of what Sasuke is grappling with after all that he and others have sacrificed. And I do enjoy seeing the honest emotions that come from Hinata when it comes to Naruto. But mostly it’s just an episode that’s focused on turning the page until we can get back to this story and really start moving forward again.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.