Saturday 22 November 2014

ANIME MOVIE REVIEW: NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE 5: BLOOD PRISON

Naruto Shippuden The Movie 5: Blood Prison
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 108 Mins
Audio: English DD  & Japanese DD5.1
Release Date: 1/12/2014
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes 

In the dead of night, a rogue ninja has infiltrated the Raikage knocking out all his men while both the Hidden Green Village and the Hidden Stone Villages all report the same ninja who looks a lot like Naruto! And while everyone thinks the ninja was Naruto in all three cases, what can Lady Tsunade do by have Naruto restrained and taken to Hozuki Castle, a prison run by all the villages to house rogue ninjas. 

Through this Naruto maintains his innocence, saying he only went to eat at Ichiraku's then played a game of shogi with Shikamaru, but no one believes him.
Mui, the prison's master goads him about his village and how good he isn't when he's stuck in there. He soon finds all is not right with the place as there is a reason why he was sent, to find out more on an artefact called the Box of Paradise. It is well known among the villagers and a certain person wants to activate it, but he needs others to make it happen. 

Naruto has to try escaping however he can and after a few times he ends up back in solitary confinement. It's not all sad though as these failed escapes of his have made Naruto something of a daredevil among the inmates. He has to be careful who he puts his trust in though, as everyone there has been a rogue shinobi, thieves and murderers from all the villages. It is strange that Naruto doesn't fit in at first until his attempted escapes. Naruto Shippuden The Movie: 5 Blood Prison gives us the view of the Hidden Leaf prison system that keeps felons in line by using a technique that prevents them using their chakra (it is bad news for Naruto when he tries his escapes) but the ones who help run the prison aren't the good people they appear to be.

Strange events plague Naruto while he is stuck in prison, a stranger tells him how to escape - fight Mui and win, advice he gets from a mysterious man, an inmate who tells him of the other criminals. All stories that make him a watch you won't soon forget. Then there are the secret passageways, corrupt guards, peculiar and unnatural goings-on in an underground laboratory. There is even a love story that leads to tragedy, but the fact that so much chakra is needed to open the Box of Paradise makes it a much more dangerous artefact than the legend says. Naruto discovers who organized him to be imprisoned and his reaction isn't nice. 

As a movie, this turns out to be a well animated, sophisticated mystery about an ancient box and proves to be one of the best in the movie series. As dark times are ahead for our young hero, there is room for fun, adventure and some humor viewers will appreciate from the No1 knuckleheaded ninja!

Bonus Material: Short Film - Chunin Exam on Fire! Naruto vs. Konahamaru!, Interview with Junko Takeuchi (the Japanese language voice of Naruto Uzumaki), Message from Masashi Kishimoto (Original Author of Naruto), Art Galleries.

Verdict: A wonderfully scary, action-packed adventure!

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