Oh sandstorm, take me away!
What They Say:
Sand Jonin Fugi sneaks into the Demon Desert and creates a massive sandstorm in order to assassinate Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With Naruto making a minor appearance the last time around, that does leave one hopeful that we’re getting closer to the end of this extended flashback arc and to get back to the present day material where things were getting pretty real. Naruto’s appearance was minor overall, but useful for reminding Sakura about the way he always perseveres and that she really needs to step up more. Her working with Ino and Choji in the exam phase has been fun to watch overall because they’re a decent team and this helps to further reaffirm the friendships that were built around Naruto and his ways, which carries well into the present. But at the same time, there’s only so much you can do with it –and past material – before it just feels like you’re beating a dead horse that we all know and understand very well.
With the teams here racing to get back and to cross the finish line with their scrolls, it’s reinforced again how some teams are laying in wait to get the scrolls they need in order to successfully pass this phase of the exam. It’s something that you could say is underhanded, but these are ninja. Even if they’re not traditional ninjas in some senses, there’s still that aspect of doing what’s necessary in order to win and taking creative routes to get there if the blunt physical force side doesn’t work. So with that reinforced and Sakura and her team working their way to the finish as are others, going roundabout routes in order to not be snookered, there are a few curves thrown in along the way. Such as a massive sandstorm that has been summoned by a group that’s looking to eliminate Gaara. This plot seemingly comes out of nowhere, though it could have been seeded earlier and I was just oblivious to it as this arc plods along, but it provides a new challenge for the teams here.
Amusingly, there are those that won’t cancel the exam phase because of the storm as survival is a part of being a shinobi. It’s cold, but it’s also true. Not that this series regularly deals with harsh realities, but it is a nice aspect to it as the event hits and we lose the ability to see much going on. The scale of it though really does prompt the adults to get into action and help out the teams they can find, and we do see some teams figuring out ways to survive it themselves, which is welcome. There are some decent moments to this as it unfolds and we see what’s going on, but there’s also sub-flashbacks in here that can cause you to just blank out a bit and a little time with Gaara that should be interesting but instead is just kind of blasé at best. Which, sadly, is what this arc has become as a whole even though it started out with some potential.
In Summary:
This episode could and should have been done with the sandstorm filter over all of it, no real animation behind it and just dialogue. That might have been more engaging. Events are moving along here in its own odd and uninteresting way and the kick off of the assassination attempt is handled about as well as one might imagine. While the potential for great stories and expansion on areas is always possible, the anime original team continues to show that they’re just phoning it in. Which is unfortunate considering the amount of time, effort and money involved in producing all of it for such lackluster results.
Grade: C
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.
