“Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut” features filler episodes touching upon Naruto’s past but also episodes that brings us back to the Great Ninja War with the revival of deceased ninjas and criminals from the past. If you are a “Naruto” fan staying in for the long haul, “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut” is recommended!
Image courtesy of © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto/2007 Shippuden. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut
DURATION: Episodes 258-270 (300 Minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: 2.0 Stereo Surround Sound, Bilingual (Japanese & English), English Subtitles
COMPANY: Shonen Jump/Viz Media
RATED: Rated T for Older Teen
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto
Series Directed by Hayato Date
Produced by Tomoko Gushima, Ken Hagino
Series Coordinator by Junki Takegami, Satoru Nishizono
Character Design by Tetsuya Nishio, Hirofumi Suzuki
Music by Yasuharu Takanishi, Yaiba
Music Production by Aniplex
Anime Production by TV Tokyo, Pierrot
Featuring the following voice talent:
Junko Takeuchi/Maile Flanagan as Naruto Uzumaki
Chie Nakamura/Kate Higgins as Sakura Haruno
Noriaki Sugiyama/Yuri Lowenthal as Sasuke Uchiha
Akira Ishida/Liam O’Brien as Sabaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Desert)
Hideo Ishikawa/Crispin Freeman as Itachi Uchiha
Houchu Ohtsuka/David Lodge as Jiraiya
Kazuhiko Inoue/Dave Wittenberg as Hatake Kakashi
Kentarou Itou/Robbie Rist as Chouji Akimichi
Kenyuu Horiuchi/Troy Baker as Pain
Kouichi Toochika/Steve Staley as Neji Hyuuga
Kousuke Toriumi/Kyle Hebert as Kiba Inuzuka
Kujira/Steven Blum as Orochimaru
Masako Katsuki/Debi Mae West as Tsunade/Fifth Hokage
Nana Mizuki/Stephanie Sheh as Hinata Hyuuga
Nobutoshi Canna/Henry Dittman as Kabuto Yakushi
Rikiya Koyama/Troy Baker as Yamato
Romi Paku/Tara Platt as Temari
Ryoka Yuzuki/Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Ino Yamanaka
Satoshi Hino/Ben Diskin as Sai
Shinji Kawada/Derek Stephen Prince as Shino Aburame
Yasuyuki Kase/Michael Lindsay as Kankurou
Yoichi Masukawa/Brian Donovan as Rock Lee
The Fourth Great Ninja War has begun and even the strongest fight to survive! The quest for power and struggle for control leads many heroes down hard roads. Sasuke’s revelation of Naruto’s potential and his personal defeat in combat lead him to consider the path of Orochimaru. While Naruto continues to master the power within under the watchful eye of Killer Bee, The Allied Shinobi Forces confront Madara’s army of reanimated shinobi and White Zetsu. Can the alliance hold long enough to stop the army?
With the latest 21st volume of “Naruto Shippuden”, the series takes a look back to see how Naruto has helped his fellow ninjas and changed the hearts of even his enemies.
Meanwhile, the Great Ninja War is underway as Zabuza and Haku are revived to fight against Kakashi and other ninjas. Meanwhile, Darui and his division must take on the powerful Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
All this and more in “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut”.
What is “Naruto”?
Since 1999, “Naruto” created by Masashi Kishimoto (“Karakuri”) has been one of the most popular anime and manga series in Japan and has easily become a favorite best selling anime/manga series among fans all over the world.
For the anime series, since 2002, “Naruto” lasted until 2007 with a total of 220 episodes. The series would follow the adventures of a boy named Naruto Uzamaki, who may not be the brightest ninja from the Konoha Village but he makes it up with heart and also tremendous power as the killer beast known as the nine-tailed fox has been sealed within him.
Earlier in the series, the anime series focused on Naruto and his team members Sasuke Uchida and Sakura Haruno as they would go on adventures and learn to become a team and also honing their ninja abilities. The series would then begin to introduce other young ninjas from the village who Naruto would be paired up with and the young ninjas would take on rival clans to helping people in need. But somehow as the series continued, Sasuke Uchida would then go off on his own personal mission to stop his brother Itaki Uchida, who murdered the whole Uchida clan and his family, only leaving Sasuke alive.
Within those six years, we have seen Naruto and his friends grow as friends and also in their abilities. For Naruto, all he has wanted is to become the next Hokage (the leader of the village) when he grows older and to help his friends accomplish missions. He knows that to be a good leader, he will need to get stronger so he can protect the village once he grows older. Of course, there is so much involved in the “Naruto” anime series and what makes its special is its humor, its action but also how well the series integrates so many characters but yet features a good number of character driven episodes that makes the viewer appreciate many of the characters in the series.
“Naruto”, the first series ended with the young ninja leaving to train with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years.
What is “Naruto Shippuden”?
Sasuke has aligned with the Akatsuki who wants to destroy the Leaf Village – Konoha. Madara has declared war and thus an Allied Shinobi Force is formed. The elder leaders of all villages, allies to the Leaf Village have realized that the Akatsuki are after Naruto (Nine Tail) and Killer B (Eight Tail Beast). They have since accomplished extracting the beasts (Jinchuriki) from others.
In “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 20”, the series now returns back to storyline that is featured on the manga series.
As Naruto tries to control the power of the nine tails, Naruto’s mother enter his consciousness to explain the secrets of his birth and learns about heir hopes and renews his vow to be come Hokage!
All is revealed about what transpired during the day of Naruto’s birth and who was responsible for attacking the Leaf Village with the nine tails. And given the final moments to meet and speak with his mother one last time.
And as Naruto has become the prime target of the Akatsuki, Yamato, Guy and a few other Leaf Ninja, including Killer B have convinced Naruto that he is on an S-Ranked Environmental Mission at an island.
But hiding among them is the Akatsuki Kisame (who was thought to be dead) and has been spying on them all this time and now is trying to leak the intel back to the Akatsuki. But in order to stop them, only one man will be to take him on…Guy.
Now, as Naruto is a prime target and has been taken away to a hidden area for training, the Great Ninja war has begun and Kabuto is reviving the great ninjas, good and bad and taking control of their bodies to fight against the ninjas.
Kakashi and his division must take on the revived Zabuza and Haku, who don’t want to fight but are being controlled to fight against their own will. Meanwhile, Darui and his division are sent to take on the powerful Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
VIDEO, AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Naruto Shippuden” is an anime series that was never known for having spectacular background art, but it’s know for its action and its characters and how it captures emotion and its intense battles. While in this episode, a lot of episodes are contained in areas near lush green trees, water or dirt, it’s not so much of the background but how the characters are design and how well the battles are portrayed. And I can easily say that with “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 20- Original Uncut”, the fast-paced action in this volume is great for a TV series and good for what one can expect on DVD.
It’s important to note that in 2014, Viz has went from releasing episodes on three DVD discs to two DVD discs per volume.
As for the audio, the audio for “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 20” is pretty much Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Bilingual (Japanese and English). Similar to a series like “Dragon Ball Z”, with “Naruto”, I have always enjoyed the voice acting of the English dub series. It’s well done and the voices fit the characters very well.
Especially Maile Flanagan’s Naruto Uzumaki. Personally, I didn’t think there would be a voice actor that could capture Junko Takeuchi’s Naruto vocals and sure enough, Flanagan does a great job. But I have watched the series in Japanese and English and for the most part, voice acting for both soundtracks are well-done.
Since the series is front channel driven, for those with a modern home theater receiver probably will enjoy a more immersive soundscape by selecting stereo on all channels.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut” comes with the following special features on disc 2:
- Clean Openings/Endings
- More from Viz Media – Viz Media trailers
With the release of “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut”, the volume features a balance of filler episodes that revisit Naruto’s past and seeing how he has changed people, good and bad, for the best. While the second half continues with the Great Ninja War as Zabuza and Haku are revived against their will and must fight against the ninjas.
Also revived are Kakuzu, Dan Kato, Hyuga Hizashi, the Gold and Silver Brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku (the two most feared criminals in the Hidden Cloud). Sent to fight against the two Silver Brothers is Darui, who brings his division to take on the powerful and evil brothers.
For the most part, the filler episodes are literally to show how Naruto is seen as inspirational, but the goal is to drag out the series to give Masashi Kishimoto time to finish up more manga chapters.  And the fight against the Gold and Silver Brothers is spread out to multiple episodes, but to show the great power Kabuto has of reviving feared ninjas from the past.
As for the DVD set, you get a total of 12 episodes and special features have been reduced to the clean opening and endings.
Overall, “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut” is an essential DVD volume for those who have waited for the storyline to get back to the Great Ninja War storyline. While there are a good number of filler episodes, they go rather quickly and in someways, it’s rather nice to revisit past storylines contained in one episode and see how Naruto inspired people over time.
If you are a “Naruto” fan staying in for the long haul, “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 21 – Original & Uncut” is recommended!
