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 Naruto fans will love it, but it's not essential viewing. January 2, 2009
Naruto is a hugely popular anime series (based on the manga comics) which runs for over 190 episodes, and has spawned 3 movies. This movie is the second...
Is this movie any good? Yes it is. But, despite the great production, it's not treading any new ground in regards to the first movie and the TV series. It's fun (full of the expected solid ninja action), but doesn't exactly require you to think (the plot is awfully transparent)... but then it's not like it needs to be anything different, given the popularity of Naruto.
If you're new to the Naruto anime, I suggest you start at the beginning of the TV series. (Or go read the manga.) Saying this, anybody can watch this film without knowing the full history of Naruto , but you'd appreciate it more if you do some homework.
This movie is, unfortunately, not a must see for just everyone - Naruto fans will enjoy it, as that's exactly who it's aimed at, but otherwise you could completely ignore it.
This is a fun way to spend a couple of hours, but I doubt repeat viewing will happen, unless of course the viewer is a massive Naruto fan.
Chances are this movie will prove as popular as the first movie. Is Naruto one of the best anime ever? That's arguable, but, given the huge popularity of Naruto in Japan and the USA, plus the fast growing appeal of him in the UK and Europe, it's clear to see that he's going to be around for a while longer, so expect that TV series to continue way past the 200 mark.
If you want to know how these film tie-in to the TV series watch them between the following episodes:
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow - Episodes 101/102
Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel - Episode 160/161
Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom - Episode 196/197
 This is why non-canon Naruto stories have a bad rep January 2, 2009
While I don't normally make an effort to watch the more 'sprawling', long term investment type anime series(I usually prefer my anime in 13-26 episode chunks and no more), Naruto is one long running(Now at over 300 episodes in Japan and counting) anime series I got into a year or so ago, and overall it has consistently surprised me with the level of depth and engagement it's storylines(slowly) unfold with, with impressively realised characters in a well developed fantasy world and genuinely moving and shocking plot turns and twists... it's one of those shows that has everything... except when you get into the well known 'filler' aspects of the series(That is, stories in the anime that aren't adapted from the original manga storyline).
This second movie outing for the franchise is one such example of a 'filler' story, and boy is it a bad one.
Opening with a decent sequence that sees the Sand village(Home of Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, though Temari is oddly absent with no explanation in this movie) being invaded by an army of mechanical knights, the movie quickly moves (mostly) away from the promise of a tale of war breaking out between the ninja villages and foreign attackers and instead focuses on the relationship between Naruto and the young, misguided leader of the foreign army, Temujin. It follows pretty much the same pattern as every Naruto filler story: Naruto meets new character he has friction with, eventually begins to win them over with his never give up attitude before showing them their entire life has been a lie etc, etc... it's a familiar pattern that has long since run it's course by this stage, and leaves this movie feeling repetitive and boring for most of the 90 minute run time.
Though that's not to say it's all bad. The movie does look very nice, with some decent fights(Especially one where Gaara and Kankuro battle a pair of mutating female knights), and the welcome portrayal of Sakura as a competent ninja that you only ever seem to see in the Naruto movies(The female ninjas are almost always portrayed as nearly comically useless in the tv show, be it in filler or canon stories) as she teams up with Shikamaru(The show's best 'supporting' cast member by far) to investigate the invading army.
It's not a great piece of the Naruto franchise, nor is it even half as good as the surprisingly well put together first movie, but for fans this movie is not without it's charms. For those of you just getting into this labyrintine franchise though, start elsewhere and save this as a desperate last resort.
Watchable but simplistic anime for the younger viewer December 30, 2008
I enjoy intelligent anime - everything from the gruesome but poignant Elfin Lied to the inspired lunacy of Excel Saga. Naruto is a very different kettle of fish. Obviously pitched at the younger viewer, this consists of a reasonably spectacular adventure yarn punctuated by a huge amount of pitched battles between goodies and boo-hiss baddies, who are all equipped with ridiculously OTT super powers. The 12 rating seems a bit over-strict, as there's nothing really here that I wouldn't want a 10 year old to watch. A bit of mild menace perhaps as some protagonists are transformed into demonic creatures, but it's so exaggerated as to be more amusing than truly sinister. At 90 minutes or so, it feels a bit too long and, rather than effective plot development, there were too many rather samey fights for my liking. The animation is not the greatest I've ever seen, with characters jumping around somewhat jerkily. On the plus side, there are some genuinely funny moments and the tried and trusted manga themes of courage, sacrifice and friendship are explored in some depth. The sound is also pretty good, with decent 5.1 effects, but the English dubbing is implemented in the usual VERY American style. To summarise, this should hold the interest of the younger viewer but adult anoime fans will surely demand something a tad more sophisticated.
 Not bad December 29, 2008
It's been awhile since I've watched any anime, but Naruto The Movie 2 brought it all back to me. It has all of the standard magical ninja effects, bad background music and crazy teenagers who save the world. But most of all, it has a great storyline. The animation is good, but not great, but the storyline is intriguing.
Without giving the plot away,the movie is about a man trying to create a utopian society, and of course we all know the problem with that. Naruto The Movie 2 brings it all together in classic anime style.
Naruto, nothing special December 22, 2008
Naruto
Generally I'm a fan on Anime but I've not watched Naruto before. The story surrounds a riotous Naruto and his gang of friends. They come across a supernatural army who appear to want to find some mystical power to "bring peace" to the world.. by destroying most of it. So far nothing out of the ordinary.
Much of the imagery is well depicted, the invaders are obviously European, with the head baddie being some sort of evangelistic priest. The plucky Japanese kids with their Pokemon style powers must save the day. All East meets West.
The animation good quality traditional cell animation with a little CGI thrown-in. This is quite refreshing in these CGI heavy days.
All-in-all whilst this movie is nothing special, it is a good example of the anime genre, but it won't convert anyone to the cause. There are much better examples out there with headier subjects, better action/animation etc.
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