ANIME REVIEW: NARUTO SHIPPUDEN BOX SET 24

Naruto Shippuden Box Set 24
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 300 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: Out Now!
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes 

In the stark desert scenery, Gaara has come face to face with his reanimated father who is amazed that he has overcome his hatred and rage and become the kazekage. There are more revelations from him and flashbacks on his past when he was only young and his future at that time uncertain. Viewers get to see a different side to what they have already seen in past episodes, and this time it is the reality of what happened that is the real shocker. This is an emotional episode for fans of the series and Gaara as all the hatred for his father and disappointment at his siblings apparently hating him was unfounded and all is explained in one episode.

Naruto and Killer Bee encounter two reanimated ninja they never expected, Itachi and Nagato. Ever since Naruto's fierce meeting with Itachi back when he though he was an enemy of the leaf, Naruto found Itachi had faith in him to do the right thing by Sasuke, agreeing with him that he would have been a better brother to him. Now, he faces Itachi again, but not of his own free will - Kabuto is quietly plotting his attacks behind the scenes and uses him and Nagato to kill and finally take the eight and nine tails.

This isn't easy when Itachi and Nagato are pulling their familiar and dangerous moves. Sasuke is the one Itachi is interested in hearing about as he hasn't seen him since he beat him in their previous heated battle. He is worried that Sasuke would destroy the village he helped to protect, hating that he and his comrades are being used as pawns by Kabuto. That Sasuke could be good and bad troubles him but as a pawn he can do nothing about it, or can he? Itachi is entirely reliant on Naruto to take down Sasuke if he becomes a problem when the time comes, and Naruto is only too happy to oblige. Since Sasuke and Itachi first battled, this is a fight to watch as Nagato and Itachi tell Naruto and Killer Bee what moves they are going to attempt before they do and carry on a conversation. It is as fierce as it is funny.

As the advanced team are having to seal away the reanimated shinobi, one of them being a certain kazekage, back at the camp, Neji and Hinata are on high alert as is Shikamaru who thinks of everyone around him as an enemy as white Zetsu could be any one of them. The beauty of the reanimated enemies is old familiar characters keep cropping up that make us smile. And as the battles we see switch from team to team, heroes and villains fight over the course of the episodes and we see the stressful effect of what they have to deal with from the reanimated shinobi and the thousands of relentless Zetsu clones scattered around, and the tough decisions Shikamaru has to make.

There are several flashbacks to early episodes of footage that hasn't been seen and one recalls the events where Orochimaru had his sound ninja four by his side after the Third Hokage had prevented him from using his hands to create jutsu, telling them about their curse marks and how to make them stronger with vengeful feelings and the strength of the reanimation jutsu. I suppose what the anime is trying to say is that Kabuto was the one who learned the most from his teachings as the others never got much time to progress.


Bonus Material: Storyboards, Production Gallery and Trailers of Naruto Shippuden The Movie and Naruto Shippuden the Series.


Summary:Well crafted, action-packed and fun to watch all the way through!