Naruto Manga Reaching Its' Climax Says Masashi Kishimoto

In a recent article from the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has said that the Naruto Manga is now reaching its' climax.


Kishimoto added, "How the story will end has already been set in my mind, so the story is just 'racing headlong in that direction.'"


Of course with the type of arc this has been and with all the recent happenings, there was always a good chance this would be the last and that Naruto would be near the end. As for actual times, none have been given, but it does appear as if the end is finally in sight for the series.






*Credit to Anime News Network for the info*

Naruto Shippuden Episode 267 - The Brilliant Military Advisor of the Hidden Leaf - Review / Thoughts

So after taking a break last week, Shippuden is back this week with episode 267, but has it been worth the extra wait?

To be perfectly honest, no it hasn't. This episode was extremely slow paced, and almost the whole thing was spent talking strategy.

Don't get me wrong, it's obvious that strategy is needed in a war, but there was certainly no need to have to show all the viewers this. It's not like anything major or surprising was planned out, all the needless details used would have been far better being off screen, as I doubt too many fans find spending 20 minutes hearing battle strategy all that entertaining.

I guess it was kind of entertaining hearing the conversation between the former Kage who had been revived with Edo Tensei, but aside from that, this episode was so slow and so boring you could be forgiven for mistaking it for filler. Quite honestly, it was like a canon filler episode pretty much.

I know it's setting up for next week, and the next episode does look like it could be pretty awesome, but that doesn't change the fact that getting through this episode is some task. It's not as if this episode is super horrible or terrible, it's just so unnecessarily slow that it drags terribly, leaving the viewer to keep watching in the hopes of just something, anything at all to actually happen, but it never does.

There's no way I could honestly recommend this episode to someone, if you're a diehard Naruto fan who must watch all the episodes then you might be ok with it, but for the most part you wouldn't be missing out in any way if you completely skipped this episode. My advice would be to maybe watch the part with the Edo Kage, and the (roughly) one minute scene with Kabuto right at the start of the episode, and then skip the rest. Hopefully next week shall make up for this rather lacklustre and disappointing episode.

Naruto Chapter 590 - I Will Always Love You - Review / Thoughts

"I will always love you".  Oh Itachi, he sures does know how to make his fans happy! So yes, after a week with no new chapter, this week Naruto is back with chapter 590, and it's fantastic.

I have always been a fan of these emotional chapters, and this is no exception. It was really good finally seeing the full picture of what really happened during (and just before) the Uchiha massacre. It once again helped to portray Sarutobi as a good guy and the most reasonable of all the Konoha higher ups, and it also made Danzo once again seem like the villain.

It also showed a bit more of Shisui too which is always a good thing, and to be honest I felt really bad for Itachi while reading the chapter. For the longest time most sympathy has gone towards Sasuke for all the crap he has been through, but this week also showed just how much Itachi had to suffer as well and just how much it hurt and how much he regretted having to do such horrible things.

Kishimoto also gave fans what they wanted, and that is a true message from Itachi to Sasuke about how he will love him no matter what happens. This is the chance for Kishi to change Sasuke if he wants, and I know a lot of people would be happy to see that happen. I personally still hope that he holds a grudge against the two Konoha elders who, along with Danzo, were behind the massacre and who were basically undermining Sarutobi's wishes. They both deserve to die as Danzo did in all honesty, as for them to both continue living seems like a bit of a slap in the face considering the roles they played in things.

But yeah, the chapter was brilliant. It shed some light on how things really went down at the massacre, and the last panel (the pic above) and the one with Itachi crying about having to kill his own parents (who understood why he was doing it, which to be honest I thought was a wonderful thing for Kishi to add) especially were very sad and emotional.

Overall this was a very emotional chapter and a brilliant one at that. If I have one gripe, it's that it does look like Madara will be gone for good now Edo Tensei is over, but other than that, this was a brilliant chapter and one of Kishimotos' best in a while.

Bleach Chapter 489 – March of The Starcross – Review / Thoughts

This week I have to say that without a doubt, Bleach 489 was the standout chapter between this and Naruto. Whereas Naruto was firmly rooted in past events, Bleach was very much in the present, as well as setting up something brilliant for the future chapters.
 
Last week we got to see what looked like the beginning of Ichigo vs Kirge, but Ichigo instead starts off against a few other Quincy instead as you can see in the picture above. It doesn’t take long for Ichigo to realise that the people who before were only known to him as the Vandenreich were in fact Quincy. Kirge even comments on the fact that he invaded without even being 100% sure of who they were, not that it makes a difference to Ichigo as we all know by now.

Rather than Ichigo fighting, this chapter was more focused on the strange events that have been taking place in Soul Society, and who’s to blame for it. To begin with we just see Rukia pacing the floor in Soul Society where she is waiting for the captain’s meeting, with Renji telling her to calm down and take it easy, only for Kira to appear and interrupt. He tells them that something is bothering him, and explains how he used to think all the Vandenreich / Quincy stuff was connected with the disappearances from Rukongai, but now he realises that’s not the case.

Kira begins to explain his thoughts on the matters, and asks a question as well. When Yachiru answers, it confirms things for him, and he asks Nemu what Mayuri is hiding (having concluded that there was something odd about the way things had been done and investigated by his group). Nemu says Mayuri never told her anything about the disappearances, with Kira saying he will just have to report it to Yamamoto himself. Later in the chapter, we see Yamamoto confront Mayuri about it and asks him what’s going on. Mayuri tells him that it’s true he was behind the disappearances, as he had some Shinigami go in to Rukongai and kill the people to keep the balance between spirits and people even. Yamamoto asks why he didn’t ask for permission, saying that under the current circumstances it would have been approved anyway.

Mayuri says that if things had got worse, his unit would have been held responsible for it, hence why he went ahead and did it anyway. Yamamoto responds by saying that if they had reported things sooner, then maybe things wouldn’t have become so serious in the first place. Without hesitation, Mayuri tells Yamamoto he is wrong. He then says how right back when Ishida first invaded Soul Society along with Ichigo etc he warned him of what could one day happen, but that Yamamoto claimed his fears were baseless and denied it.

Mayuri then says Yamamoto is the one to blame because he didn’t lill “that man“  1000 years ago. Meanwhile, with Ichigo distracted by his battle with Kirge and the other Quincy, the king declares that now is the perfect chance to invade Soul Society, and so they head off to do just that.

But yes, that was the main content of the chapter. As you can tell, things are getting very serious with potential consequences being unthinkable. The dischord in Soul Society just reminded me of something Kubo said in the interview he did shortly before the arc came out, that being that Soul Society would be devastated like never before (or something along those lines).

I mean, while I know the Quincy invasion is going to have a huge impact on everything, maybe a part of what will make things so devastating and like nothing they have ever seen before will be that Soul Society will become full of rifts between the Gotei 13. With this chapter we can already see that Mayuri is unhappy with Yamamoto, and Yamamoto doesn’t seem too happy with Mayuri either. Of course we have no idea who “That man” is / was, but he could even come back to play some huge role, whether that be what happened in the past or even if he is still alive and active somehow today.

I was expecting this to be an action and battle filled chapter, but instead we were given something that is playing far more with the distrust and psychological aspect of things, and as a fan of that sort of thing then I enjoyed it a lot. Kubo really has done a spectacular job with this arc, and I can’t commend him enough for it. Kubo gets a lot of stick from people for all his trolling and “asspulls” that seemed to be brought up for every arc, but this time I can’t imagine there are too many fans who would criticise what he has done in this war arc.

This was a pretty awesome chapter, despite not being what I (and I suspect many others were expecting), and I really can see next week being fantastic, especially if the Quincy do indeed reach Soul Society by then.

Bleach Chapter 488 – Bond Behind Blast – Review / Thoughts

I have to say this was a pretty good chapter. This week I definitely have to say that Bleach was better than Naruto, so needless to say I was pretty happy with chapter 488.
 
There was a fight with the three Fraccion loyal to Harribel – Sun-Sun, Mila Rose and Appaci in this chapter, and Nel was doing her best to hype them up to Ichigo. Speaking of Nel, she was pretty funny in this chapter as she was riding on Ichigo’s back and doing stuff like covering Ichigo’s eyes so he can’t see where he’s going etc. But there was also some serious stuff in the form of the battle I mentioned above, and also with Soul Society preparing for war with the Vandereich.

This chapter confirmed what everyone knew already, that being that the Vandenreich are in fact Quincy. Mayuri confirms it during a meeting between the Gotei 13 and Yamamoto where they are relaying all the info they have on the Vandenreich and preparing to go to war with them. Yamamoto asks if they have found where the Vandenreich (who from this point on I shall refer to as Quincy since it’s been confirmed now) are located, but he is told that they still don’t know yet. Yamamoto tells them to start preparations for war immediately since they were given the 5 day deadline, with Yamamoto saying that they can’t trust people as despicable as the Quincy to even live up to their word, and that they could strike at any time.

Elsewhere, the trio (who Nel referred to as Tres Bestia) finally stop arguing amongst themselves, and instead start fighting and defeating some of the Quincy soldiers. Nel tells Ichigo that they are really powerful and scary, and tells him that he doesn’t even need to do anything as Tres Bestia will probably wipe out the entire army themselves in no time. Of course Ichigo still continues on anyway, while one of the Quincy runs up to the captain and says they are really strong and that they should retreat for now. The Quincy who said it is then just mercilessly killed, and the Quincy captain tells the Fraccion that he has a proposal for them.
He says that they are strong and that it’s wonderful, as they would be perfect pawns for “his majesty”.

He says it’s why he doesn’t want to kill them, and suggests that they surrender instead and become pawns, where at least they would be reunited with Harribel. He then says that there could be no greater joy for them than what he just said, but the Fraccion refuse to listen, telling him not to underestimate them, with them then trying to attack the captain. The Quincy captain says it’s a shame they don’t want to negotiate with him.

Ichigo meanwhile hears a loud explosion, and Nel says it’s probably from the 3 devils and that she won’t make fun of Ichigo if he decides to go back. Just after she finishes saying it however, we get to see the Quincy captain standing on top of a rock or a hill (or something like that anyway) with the three bloody (and presumably) dead bodies of Sun-Sun, Mila Rose and Appaci at his feet. He then notices Ichigo, and comments that now with a Shinigami having arrived that it has been a really busy day for guests.

So yes, that was pretty much the content in the chapter, and it all tied together pretty well. We had the classic mix of seriousness and light hearted scenes / panels which has always been one of my favourite things about Bleach as a whole, and of course it was nice getting 100% proof and confirmation that the Vandenreich are members of the Quincy afterall.

No doubt fans of Sun-Sun, Mila Rose and Appaci will be pissed off that they were wiped out so quickly and effortlessly, but I guess Kubo is doing it just to build up some hype and add some feats to the Quincy before they go up against the Gotei 13 and Soul Society.

Speaking of which, of course it was very interesting to see Ichigo being noticed by the Quincy captain, as it means there could very well be a fight between the two of them in the next chapter. Obviously it’s no guarantee as the captain could have other plans, but if it does go ahead it should be awesome, especially if / when Urahara eventually catches up to Ichigo as well. There is still a lot to come and a lot to expect from this arc and the upcoming chapters, and admittedly this chapter didn’t advance things too much, but overall it was still an enjoyable chapter and one that I really liked reading.

Bleach Chapter 487 – Breathe But Blind – Review / Thoughts

Just as promised in the previous chapter, this week with Bleach 487 we got to see both Ichigo and Urahara, and even some colour panels like the one above! But aside from the awesome colour pictures of Urahara, how was the chapter itself?
 
My first impression of it wasn’t that great to be honest, compared to previous weeks it just didn’t seem as good. Upon reading through it again though my opinion of it is a bit more favourable. I loved the colour panels with Urahara and Ichigo as you probably guessed, and was more than happy with them. Urahara was his usual silly self at times which always makes me laugh, and in what was a mostly serious chapter this kind of humour is a welcome distraction.

In this chapter we do get to see Ichigo, Urahara and Nel etc go to Hueco Mundo like they had planned in the last one. When they get there, the first thing they notice is that they are surrounded by the dead bodies of Arrancar who had been killed during the Vandenreich’s invasion.  The group soon notices that there are a group of Vandenreich gathering yet more Arrancar just as the king had previously requested. The Arrancar are seen being dragged away, and when Ichigo asks what will happen to them, Pesche answers that they will be taken to a camp and be divided in to two groups – one that will end up becoming abducted and held prisoner, and another where they will all be killed immediately.

Without hesitation, Ichigo stands up and says he is going off to save them too, despite Pesche telling him to wait and saying Dodonchakka wasn’t amongst the ones captured. Ichigo replies by saying that it doesn’t matter, and that he will still save Dodonchakka but that in the meantime he might as well save these captured Arrancar as well.  Urahara jokingly comments about how he wonders if Ichigo realises that not too long ago these people were his enemies, but Chad comments on the fact that they all know it doesn’t make a difference, as with the type of person Ichigo is he always wants to save people. Everyone else then begins to follow after Ichigo who had rushed ahead while they were talking.

We then see the supervisor/captain of the Vandenreich’s hunting team – Kirge Opie – who is watching as all the captured Arrancar are made to line up in front of him. A couple of the hooded Arrancar debate amongst themselves whether to go through with their plan or not, with it pretty much being agreed they would soon after. The person in charge then tells all the Arrancar that, starting from the right hand side, he was going to stab them all to death. He then asks if they absolutely wish to live, and to become their comrade, and that if they did, then they are to bow down in front of him and lick his boots.

One of the Arrancar asks that if he agrees to it right away, will they spare his life. He is then stabbed right through the chest, with the captain saying that anyone who fails to understand what he just said will end up the same, and that there is an admission test they all must pass. It’s so illogical even a couple of the other Vandenreich nearby are commenting on whether the captain had any real intentions of taking any of the Arrancar alive in the first place. Just as the captain is about to stab another Arrancar, his attack is knocked back by a sword, which is then pointed in his face.

The captain doesn’t even flinch, and comments that it’s weird they have their swords, as they were supposedly all removed from them.  Then the cloaks are flung off by the Arrancar, who proudly proclaim themselves as aides of Aizen-sama, with them turning out to be Loly and Menoly. Despite their claims that they were superior, both Menoly and Loly are slashed and taken down in almost an instant by the captain. The other Vandenreich nearby asks if they should kill them both, but are told to instead keep them alive, but just give them a severe beating. He then comments to himself about Aizen, thinking that he must not have been worth much if he had such lowly people working for him, though at the same time remembering that even the much stronger Harribel was still no match for the Vandenreich king.

With his back turned, something is suddenly thrown at him, though he catches it without taking any damage all the same. As he turns around, he asks his attackers what they are. They reply by saying that despite badmouthing Harribel-sama, he doesn’t know who they are and refer to him as a useless underling. The people who attacked him turn out to be Apacci, Sun-Sun and Mila Rose.

So yes, that was the content of the chapter, and overall it was a pretty dark one. The Vandenreich of course are extremely oppressive and treating the Arrancar like crap. Anyone who is put in front of them is either cut down on the spot or else taken prisoner, so Kubo is actually doing a great job of making them come across as true villains and complete assholes.

Despite the claim at the end of the last chapter, there was no kind of fighting with either Ichigo or Urahara, so we will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer for that. This chapter did also show the return of more than a few familiar faces, though I personally am not particularly fond of any of the returning characters. But that said, with all the Arrancar members making returns recently, it does mean there is a pretty damn good chance that before long we will end up seeing Grimmjow return as well, and I know myself and plenty of other people will be genuinely delighted with that.

One thing that did piss me off (though in a good way if you get my point) was the way the captain of the hunting team badmouthed Aizen. Now I know Aizen acted like a jerk and trolled countless people, and for that some people dislike him, but I always liked him because he made for a great villain. He was someone who you could love to hate basically. The way he was basically being called weak or inferior by that piece of trash Vandenreich captain really annoyed me though, and made me wish so much that Aizen were free so he could go there, kick his ass, and have him begging for mercy.

Don’t get me wrong here, I am not angry with or criticising Kubo, in a way this is actually praising him. With Aizen he had almost that cool guy feel to him despite being a villain, someone who was just so powerful and hax that you could almost like him for it, but with the Vandenreich they are just being portrayed as purely loathsome and hateful pieces of trash. I have no problem with this, and being a villain is all about getting people to hate you, so in actual fact by getting me to hate them and get so angry with them is actually Kubo doing exactly what he set out to do, and I commend him for his writing.

But yes, it was an enjoyable enough chapter. It wasn’t the best in the world and far from my favourite, but with the colour panels, the few comedy moments, and the possibility of seeing more Arrancar return in the future, it certainly had its’ good points too.

Bleach Chapter 484 – The Buckbeard - Review / Thoughts

Chapter 484 of Bleach was pretty interesting for a few reasons, and once again leaves some questions to be answered. Oh, and who doesn’t want to live in an ice palace?
 
On a serious note, this chapter was pretty awesome. We get to see the leader of the Vandenreich, someone who is clearly easily annoyed and very ruthless considering the way he just chopped someone’s arm off because the in-fighting was annoying him. Also revealed was the fact the Vandenreich can use a weird teleportation thing that instantly transported them away from Soul Society before Yamamoto even had a chance to react, as well as also saving Ivan from Ichigo.

I don’t know what on earth it is yet, but it’s definitely not a Garganta as Ichigo commented himself. Interestingly Sasakibe also told Yamamoto that the Vandenreich can use Bankai. This was the really shocking and interesting moment for me, as it really does leave me wondering if they can be Quincy after all. Of course Quincy don’t work the same as Shinigami, but to be able to use Bankai suggests these people must at least have some knowledge or be connected in some way to the Shinigami, as no way would a Quincy be able to use it. Then again, they told Yamamoto that it should be easy for him to work out who they are, and that’s a hint that it is Quincy.

After originally assuming they were Quincy I am now left having doubts, and I really wouldn’t like to say who they are. The favourite still has to be the Quincy, but they are probably modified versions at the very least judging by the Bankai thing and also the way they teleport. The ice palace they are staying in looks awesome too, definitely check out a picture of that if you get the chance.
Overall this was a pretty good chapter, and one that posed a lot of questions. Maybe next week it will shed some light on at least some of it, but for now we are left guessing.

*Feel free to leave a comment below with your ideas / theories on who the Vandenreich could be and how / why they have these powers

Bleach Chapter 481 – The Tearing - Review / Thoughts

Now as those of you who read my review of last week’s chapter know, I was disappointed by the slow pace and lack of worthwhile happenings. Initially it looked as though this week would be the same, but then things became interesting at the end.
 
Well usually I go in to descriptions of what happened, but I won’t bother as not an awful lot did take place this week, but I will of course cover the points of interest.

Firstly, it was nice to see some of the Visored again. The opening panel with Hiyori and Lisa was welcome, and they even mentioned other members like Hachi too which is a good sign Kubo hasn’t forgot about them. We also got to see that both Shino and Yuki are ok after the previous hollow attack, because (as you can see from the above picture) they were saved by Ichigo, Chad, Ishida and Orihime. I love the panel showing the four of them standing there facing the hollows, it was one of the highlights of the chapter.

A bit later in the chapter Ikkaku is seen in a rush running somewhere, and when asked confirms he has some news. We don’t find out what that news is in this chapter, but we will know soon enough with any luck. The best and most interesting part of the chapter was right at the end, as Ichigo and friends were sat sorting out the food Orihime had brought over to share, suddenly a man appears on the nearby bed and introduces himself as Ivan Azgiaro. Ichigo turns round and sternly just responds by telling him to get off the bed, and then the chapter ends.

Now of course Azgiaro is a new character, and very much appears to be some kind of Arrancar. Kubo hinted in the recent interview about some members of the Arrancar making a return, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this was his way of reintroducing them. From the impression I got Azgiaro doesn’t seem like an enemy or a threat, and is most likely just some sort of messenger for someone else. With this new character’s sudden appearance and Ikkaku’s unknown news there were certainly a few interesting things thrown up in the latest chapter, and overall it was these two things that stood out and saved what otherwise would have been an extremely plain outing for Bleach.

I am looking forward to seeing what is to come next week, and if you plan on reading the next chapter then reading this one is pretty much essential too.

Bleach Chapter 480 – The Thousand Year Blood War - Review / Thoughts

So with this chapter begins the final arc of Bleach. From the recent interviews a lot of possibilities were opened up for storylines, and it appears the main overall plot will be a war between Soul Society and the Quincy. But getting back to here and now, how did the arc start quality wise with chapter 480?

Well the chapter itself wasn’t that great unfortunately, though this only being the beginning of what will probably be a very long arc, I had pretty much expected as much. It started off very well with some lovely colour pages showing Mayuri and the correction squad in a panic over the amount of Hollows in Karakura town, who were being completely wiped out on a massive scale by something other than Shinigami, who Mayuri only referred to as “Them”. While not 100% confirmed, it’s pretty safe to say that Them is almost certainly the Quincy, though that would be very interesting considering the only two remaining Quincy readers are currently aware of are Ishida and his father Ryuuken.

After we see that in the colour pages is when things take a bit of a downturn, we see a couple of new characters in this chapter who are being sent to Karakura town to help with the control of Hollows, as Soul Society does not want to place too much work on Ichigo, and the other Shinigami who was helping to guard the town had left that position. There are a few funny moments between the two new characters – Yuki and Shino. Later we see Shino and Yuki searching for Hollows in the town, but when Yuki finds one and is hoping for some help from Shino, he finds she has been attacked and defeated already by a Hollow, laid out by a single blow. Yuki panics and wonders if the same fate awaits him, but as the hollow approaches, he is saved by the sudden appearance of Ichigo who cuts down the Hollow with ease.

That was pretty much it for the chapter this week, Mayuri at the start was awesome and Ichigo’s appearance at the end was pretty damn badass and a nice way to end the chapter, but overall it just felt a little flat. No doubt over time things will pick up and we will find out a lot more about everything, so hopefully the pace can still quicken up even if only a little for the upcoming chapters.

Naruto Chapter 582 – Nothing – Review / Thoughts

I might as well get this out of the way now: For anyone who has been looking forward to this week to see Izanami, you will be disappointed, as it is nowhere to be seen here. Instead we are given a flashback to some of Kabuto’s childhood.
 
So yes, this was another flashback heavy chapter with little actual fighting happening. The past few weeks have been like this now, and to be honest it would be nice to see some proper action again soon. While in recent weeks it has been involving Itachi and Sasuke, this chapter is all about Kabuto.

As you can see from the picture above, he has grown extremely confident and arrogant of late, and he clearly considers himself to be a step above any other shinobi at present. Of course considering he created an army of Edo Tensei, powered up Zetsus and himself has a new form of Sage Mode, he has clearly accomplished a lot since his days as Orochimaru’s henchman, but it still doesn’t sit right for the readers who know that inevitably this is going to be the typical villain’s speech bragging how good they are, only for the next week or two coming and them getting their asses handed to them by whoever they are fighting.

Kabuto did at least damage Itachi in this chapter though. He used a jutsu that allowed him to control inanimate objects, and used the jutsu to make the stalagmites in the cave come down on top of Sasuke and Itachi. Sasuke was protected by Susanoo, but only because Itachi slowed himself down to do it to protect Sasuke, and thus ended up getting himself impaled by them. Of course, being an Edo Tensei means it didn’t really make any difference to Itachi.

Perhaps the best moment of the chapter then followed with Kabuto charging towards Itachi, ready to rewrite the tag in him now that he was incapacitated, only for Sasuke to use Amaterasu to create a barrier of black flames around himself and Itachi so that Kabuto couldn’t get near them, something that even impressed Kabuto as it was using such a powerful destructive attack as a defensive tactic.

But aside from that, it was all pretty much Kabuto backstory. Now I am usually one of the first people to stand up for backstories and I do enjoy them an awful lot most of the time, but I don’t know, despite Kabuto being one of the main villains and having the possibility of a very interesting history considering he was an orphan and a spy, instead it just felt pretty flat. It was still good getting a glimpse of how he was found and what he was like as a child considering that he has been in Naruto for ages and this is the first real look we have had at him, but it just wasn’t that interesting.

The woman who took in Kabuto actually looked quite a lot like an older version of him, so maybe a bit later something will be revealed about that. But anyway, basically the whole flashback was Kabuto explaining how he has never known who he is, he was found with no name and no memories of even his own parents, so he has always been “nothing” and “nobody”. It almost echoes Tobi’s own comments of late, except for the fact Kabuto seems to have some idea of who he is now, and of course it’s clear he has no problems trying to make a name for himself and be a someone. Heck, it seems to me like that’s very much what he has really been wanting from the start, some form of true identity and recognition.

Overall it was a pretty meh chapter, nothing exciting happened and it was very flashback heavy as I said. It was very disappointing not seeing Izanami this week after the last chapter, but to be honest there just wasn’t anything that made this chapter stand out as anything great, but at the same time it wasn’t terrible either. This was basically just an extremely average chapter, and even if you’re a Kabuto fan I can’t see you enjoying this chapter especially. Hopefully next week shall be an improvement.

Naruto Chapter 580 – Brotherly Time - Review / Thoughts

I am going to be honest, the only way to describe Naruto chapter 580 is sweet. Sweet is exactly what it is as we get to see not only Sasuke and Itachi working together, but also glimpses of them doing so in their younger days too.
 
This was yet another awesome chapter, and I think it would be impossible not to love it for anyone who likes the Uchiha bros. I have always liked the relationship between the two of them, and it’s really nice seeing how after all these years and all the crap that’s happened to them, they are still in sync with each other when it comes to thoughts and working together.

We obviously saw them taking on Kabuto last week, and the fight continues in this chapter. Two whole chapters in a row dedicated to the Uchiha vs Kabuto fight pleases me personally, though I am sure there will be some who are annoyed at this. Kabuto continues to impress, he performed one amazing technique which left both Itachi and Sasuke unable to move or see, and even made Sasuke start losing the ability to keep his Susanoo going. It was a blinding flash of light and hypersonic sound that practically rendered everyone but Kabuto blind and paralysed, with Kabuto himself admitting it’s only because of his Sage Mode,  his Snake abilities and the power to liquify his body that he can still do so.

Kabuto initially thinks about taking Itachi first, as then he could rewrite the tag placed inside of him and regain full control, but then decides to go after Sasuke instead. Itachi however blocks Kabuto’s effort to get Sasuke, with him then remembering about how Itachi can probably sense his Chakra. This part was a bit confusing due to translations, where the person doing so bemoaned the difficulty of accurate Japanese translations. So I will leave you to read that yourself, though the part where Kabuto referred to Itachi as a “Liar Ninja” was pretty awesome, with him saying about how he lied his entire life, even dying while still lying to Sasuke, and that he was excellent at doing so.
 
Since the whole chapter was fighting, I will just leave it at saying that the fight was awesome and that you should read it yourself to find out the rest. Nothing major happened yet, as by the end of the chapter things were back to stage 1 in terms of a winner / outcome.

I loved this chapter though, all the flashback parallels were amazing and showed why I like the relationship between Itachi and Sasuke so much. We got to see them in the past hunting a wild boar, with Itachi and Sasuke working together back then. After everything was done, Sasuke apologised to Itachi for not being much use, while Itachi said he still had a lot to learn. Then it moved back to the present, with Itachi smirking and commenting on how these days Sasuke would have no problem doing it.

It was a really nice and touching moment to be honest, after all this time it appears Itachi and Sasuke are somewhat reconciling and Itachi is being quick to praise Sasuke. I also like it because it has changed Sasuke back to the way he was in his younger days before he went crazy, this Sasuke is the best Sasuke, and it’s all down to Itachi that we are getting to see him again after so long. It’s clear that the bond between Itachi and Sasuke is extremely strong and will never be broken, and in the recent chapters it has me convinced at long last that Sasuke can still change his ways and gain what some people would call “redemption”.

Obviously there could be some twists and turns yet to come, but for now that appears to be the way things are headed.

In any case, this was another fantastic chapter with Kishimoto doing himself proud. If you’re an Uchiha fan then this is unmissable, but even if you’re not, the battle between them and Kabuto by itself is definitely good enough to warrant your time and attention anyway.

Naruto Chapter 577 – Sword of Hatred - Review / Thoughts

Yet again with Naruto chapter 577 we mainly see it focused on Madara’s battle with the 5 Kage, and yet again we get a fantastic chapter.

In all honesty, I think Madara’s battle with the 5 Kage is one of the best fights in Naruto. Each and every time I see it I believe it more and more, I can’t remember a chapter that wasn’t awesome when that battle had a decent amount of panel time, and this week was no different.

Last week we saw Tsunade make a little speech about the Will of Fire she inherited from Hashirama, and so it was always likely she was going to land a few hits on Madara and do some damage. What Madara did though was excellent. Just when Tsunade lands a big blow on him and Gaara seals him, Madara suddenly appears from underground and impales Tsunade. Madara of course had used Hashirama’s Mokuton clone technique, and then commented on the fact that nobody had ever been able to see through the technique except for himself back when Hashirama used to use it, and that was because of his eye powers.

Aside from Madara’s typical badassery, we also get to see Tsunade’s former boyfriend Dan talking with Choji’s father, and he is unsurprisingly shocked when he is told Tsunade managed to become Hokage. When he learns about Madara and the Kage’s battle though, he flat out tells Choji’s dad that the only person who could possibly stop Madara is Hashirama himself, and says that the only way anyone can stop Madara now is if they get the person using Edo Tensei to release the jutsu.

This actually leads to the end of the chapter, where Itachi tries to distract Sasuke with his crows, while Itachi himself then finally meets up with Kabuto. Kabuto laughs though and says luck is finally on his side since if anyone kills him then the Edo Tensei would never end, as the only way to stop the jutsu is if he cancels it himself. Then right in the last panel, we see the outline of Sasuke standing behind Itachi, with Itachi basically thinking  “damn, shit’s about to get serious” thanks to the arrival of his brother.

The chapter was brilliant, there is no other word for it. Madara vs the 5 Kage was excellent as always, and I loved the Mokuton clone part. Madara got hyped even more in this chapter thanks to Dan, and Kabuto is basically having a laugh because he knows his life is safe. I am really looking forward now though to the triangle of Itachi, Sasuke and Kabuto. Sasuke is going to go batshit insane, I honestly can’t see anything else happening right now. Itachi’s reaction to Sasuke’s arrival alone is enough to convince me he believes that Sasuke is going to rage first and ask questions later, and so has made his job more difficult.

Truth be told I think Kabuto is a fool if he thinks he is safe now, whether he believes his life or his jutsu will be ok then he is sadly mistaken. If Sasuke doesn’t go batshit insane and fight like hell against him, then I see no reason why Itachi wouldn’t be able to place Kabuto under some sort of strong Genjutsu that forced him to cancel Edo Tensei. I can’t wait to find out what happens next, as Kishimoto has done a fantastic job with Naruto these past few weeks. Just when you think Naruto is getting boring, Kishimoto springs out a month’s worth of brilliant chapters to get you hooked again. Just a brilliant, brilliant chapter, and I find myself wanting to read it more and more with every passing week.

Naruto Chapter 569 – Prove Your Will!! Review / Thoughts

It’s been a while since the last chapter since one again there was a break for Shonen Jump, but now that is over and the new chapter of Naruto is out. Was it worth the wait? In my opinion, no, it really wasn’t.

I was actually rather happy with the last chapter which had it’s share of good moments, and that’s another reason why this was such a let down. In all honesty I can’t remember one moment in this latest chapter that made me think “Wow, this is great” or even “Hey, that’s pretty interesting”. 

From start to finish it was pretty damn boring, Naruto continued talking with the Yonbi for a while and was trying to remove the rod that was controlling it, all while the Kyuubi was sat thinking to itself about Naruto and how he never gives up.

The thing is we don’t get an awful lot of pages per week, so when they are good it leaves you wishing for more, but when it’s a bad chapter you just end up thinking to yourself what an absolute waste of 20 pages it was. Now I am not one of the people who dislikes the talking segments of Naruto, in fact they often end up as some of my favourites, but what I do dislike is the fact that out of about 19 pages, 3 or 4 of them were wasted with nothing but flashbacks….yes you read it right, 3-4 pages of damn flashbacks.

I fear for the Anime version when it gets to this part, they love adding flashbacks at the best of times so who knows how far they will stretch it, but that’s another topic for another day.

In my opinion, this was a very boring and pointless chapter. Naruto does get the odd week like this so I am not too worried currently, my only hope is that now the flashbacks are out of the way, it will leave next week open for more action and/or the characters and story actually moving along a bit.

Naruto Chapter 587 - At 9.... - Review / Thoughts

As another week and another chapter of Naruto passes by, we are still left waiting for the end of Edo Tensei. Yes, that's right, despite setting things up last week, chapter 587 still doesn't deal with Kabuto's technique.

Instead we get a nice long explanation of what Izanami does, and how it was used by past members of the Uchiha clan. I can certainly see why it would annoy someone considering how much of the chapter was taken up by it, and tbh I wasn't exactly thrilled either. The explanation was fine and even kind of cool, but it did drag on far too long.

The chapter also goes to show how flawed Sasuke's thinking is. To him, Itachi is perfect and can do no wrong, this despite Itachi admitting he is a very flawed person. It does make more sense as to why Sasuke became so enraged over his death and why he has such a grudge against Konoha, as it is bad enough losing your brother in such a way, but if you truly believe that he was perfect and could do no wrong as well, then it only makes the pill even more bitter to swallow.

As expected, of course there is a way for Kabuto to end the Izanami as well, and to be honest I can definitely see that happening very soon. I still don't buy in to the idea of Edo Madara being forced to disappear, as it would be an extremely cheap way to get rid of him and a lot of fans would be left feeling cheated, and I don't think Kishi will let that happen in such an important part of the story.

I thought this chapter was ok, if not padded out with information that could and should have taken about half the amount of pages to get through. If someone hated this chapter for being slow paced and boring I couldn't really fault them, but personally I just felt it was ok, but certainly nothing special. Hopefully Kishi can turn things around next week after the recent dip in form.

Naruto Shippuden Episode 263 - Sai and Shin - Review / Thoughts

Episode 263 of Shippuden did something I am very happy about, something I have been hoping for and something I hope shall continue. What is this I am talking about? Adding filler, but actual good filler.

For those who don't read the Manga, none of the flashbacks involving Sai and Shin actually happened in it. Shin was obviously talking with Sai while Sasori and Deidara were being dealt with, but it was pretty much all off panel. I won't spoil anything for you of course if you're an Anime only watcher, but there are certainly many times coming up where adding portions of filler like this again would be extremely welcome, and it's what me and many other readers are hoping for.

The best part is that it was done well, the music choices were good and it did a great job of portraying how Sai feels. In the Manga nothing was really elaborated on, it was simply that Shin is Sai's brother and that's why he doesn't want to fight. The Anime actually did well in giving Shin a proper backstory, and also even how he died.

The fights themselves would have no doubt felt very disappointing, as despite Sasori being so strong and an Akatsuki member, to end up not even having a proper exit the second time around is sure to piss off his fans. I remember being annoyed by it back when I read the chapter in the Manga, but of course knowing it was coming lessened the blow for me.

As I said, the parts with Sai and Shin were really nicely done, especially as they are purely Anime content. While probably not technically classed as canon, since it doesn't screw around with the facts that have been established, I welcome such additions as it really builds on the characters and emotions.

This was a pretty good episode overall, and the parts with Sai and Shin (aside from hitting home once again just how much I despise Danzo) more than made up for the disappointment at the lack of proper fights. The war will get better I can assure you of that, but if someone really disliked the episode / content for what happened with what should have been the two battles, I wouldn't be surprised nor would I blame them.

Bleach Chapter 492 - Balancer's Justice - Review / Thoughts

Bleach has been on really good form throughout this arc, and for the most part chapter 492 continues that. However, it's still not perfect, as unfortunately it also got a little bogged down unnecessarily.

I am of course referring to Shino and Yuki, the two new characters who were introduced in this arc. Aside from being pretty dislikeable in the first place, interjecting them in to what was otherwise a strong chapter is hardly going to win them many fans, especially as the role they played was pointless for anyone who has been reading or watching Bleach all these years.

Ayon was (pardon the phrase) a beast. He just went on a huge fecking rampage and pulverised Kirge in to the ground. Seriously, he just really went to work on him, punching and smashing him literally in to the ground. It was so intense that Orihime was visibly shocked and acted like it was so gruesome she couldn't believe her eyes, and even Chad commented on how what Ayon was doing was just overkill.

What's really impressive is the fact Kirge somehow managed to not only survive the incredible beating he took (heck, Apacci comments on how amazing it is that he even remained in one piece), but also stabbed Appaci right through the chest. He then got up and shrugged it off like it was nothing, and that was as impressive as heck. It was always likely he was going to win that particular battle, but damn, if that kind of beating doesn't stop him, I really don't know what will.

The battle between Kirge and Ayon was brilliant, and if the whole chapter had been that, then I would have been commmenting on how good it was. Unfortnately though, as I said earlier, it was bogged down by the unnecessary appearance of Shino and Yuki, whose only purpose in this chapter was to give us a recap of why the Quincy and Shinigami are constantly fighting each other. We saw all of this years ago back when we were finding out more about Ishida, so to throw this crap in amongst an awesome fight was nothing more than a waste of everyone's time.

Overall I will still say it's a good chapter purely based on the Kirge vs Ayon stuff, but there is no denying that the Shino and Yuki part was pointless and awful. My advice is to skip their parts as it will tell you nothing you didn't already know, and if you focus purely on the fight, this is a brilliant chapter.

What Is / What Will Itachi's Izanami Do or Be? (Theory)

Itachi's Izanami - What will happen when he uses it / what will it do?  Of course this is a question Naruto fans have been asking and trying to figure out since the first chapter it was mentioned, and in what's a first for me and my site, I am going to discuss my own idea of what I think it may be.

As I said, I haven't done anything like this before either here or on my old site, but I thought it might be interesting putting out my theory for others to see and debate about. And who knows, depending on how popular / how interested people are in this, I may make future prediction posts too.

Now then, on to the theory itself.

Since the OVA came out showing the fight between Madara and Hashirama Senju at the VotE, a lot of people singled out one scene in particular where they say it shows Madara supposedly rewinding time using his EMS to send back Shuriken that were aimed at him. Where this ties in to things is that a lot of people have been using this to fuel the idea that maybe Izanami is going to be that same technique and that Itachi will be able to rewind time with it too, but I disagree with that.

When you think about it, it really wouldn't fit in or make much sense, especially when you think about what Izanagi already does. With Izanagi, that's almost like a rewind time technique in of itself. I know technically it doesn't rewind time, but it still does save a person's life by taking back an action that is about to (or already happened). If Izanami was just rewinding time, then I still couldn't see it being able to go that far back, and if it were only a few minutes or seconds, it would be far too similar to Izanagi.

Itachi himself said  "If Izanagi changes fate, then Izanami decides it."  which of course was deliberately very vague. However, I think that, rather than rewinding time, Izanami will let Itachi change the future. It seems far more plausible, plus the "deciding fate" comment for Itachi would fit in much better. I don't know exactly what Itachi would do (though probably going to the future and placing Kabuto under Genjutsu or forcing him to stop Edo Tensei or something).

We also know how Kishimoto loves using Japanese mythology in his work, and indeed, Izanagi was a god in that too. In the story, Izanami was the wife of Izanagi, and was a goddess of both creation and death. I won't go in to a long speech about it as I don't want to bore you, but perhaps interesting is that at one stage, an angry Izanami swore to her husband (Izanagi) that she would kill 1,000 men per day, to which Izanagi replied that he would simply create 1,500 men to make up for it. Funnily enough, Izanami died giving birth to someone named Kagutsuchi, which of course is one of Sasuke's fire techniques, so it's clear Kishi likes linking the Uchiha with these gods (having now done so with Amaterasu, Izanagi, Izanami and Tsukuyomi to name a few).

More to the point, although she was known for both creation and death, since Izanagi essentially gave life to the person who was about to die, it enhances the possibility that Izanami will do something to end someone's life. Indeed, it would also fit in well with the comment about deciding fate, as what could be more decisive than ending someone's life? The only problem is that Itachi has repeatedly said that he can't afford to kill Kabuto, so we know he isn't going to use Izanami to actually kill him.

Maybe what he means by deciding fate is that, rather than killing Kabuto and deciding his fate, Izanami will instead let him decide the fate of the Edo Tensei, with him maybe getting the chance to seal them all away himself with his Totsuka Sword?

Of course that's just an idea, and I am just trying to make sense of Itachi's vague comments and the possibility of Kishi again taking the outline (or at least inspiration) from Japanese mythology once more.

While I don't know how or what he will do with Izanami, I am fairly confident in my prediction that it will involve going in to the future at the very least.

In any case, feel free to leave your own thoughts below on what you think it could be, or of course, if you disagree with my theory, then also feel free to leave a comment!












*Now I know how these debates often turn in to insults and petty name calling, but please refrain from doing that as there really is no need. If you disagree, please at least be civil about it and post a reasoned argument for or against the other person's point.*

Naruto Shippuden Episode 262 - War Begins! - Review / Thoughts

A slightly late review of Shippuden episode 262, but oh well, better late than never I suppose!

I am happy to say that following on from last week, this was another good episode and a fine way to start the war arc. It's actually been a while since I read these chapters in the Manga, so it does feel pretty fresh to me which is nice. I also always had a feeling that the Anime could end up being more enjoyable than the Manga, and from what I do remember, so far this has been the case (well in my personal view anyway).

I like that these past couple of episodes have done a good job on capturing some of the feelings of a war, with everyone being forced to take everything seriously, and with the villains being willing to use any means necessary to win, including the dirty tactic of using former allies and / or relations against each other. I am really glad to see Sasori back actually, he is definitely one of my favourite characters introduced in Shippuden, and so this is a nice chance for him to get some more of the spotlight for a while.

Him and Deidara, despite their artistic differences, actually make a pretty good team. Deidara's clay bombs are a great weapon, and I loved the way Sasori was controlling live people using his puppet strings to make them attack their own comrades. Also with them of course was Sai's brother - Shin. We know little about him, but it does look like in the next episode we will get some backstory on both him and Sai which I am looking forward to, especially as Sai has unfortunately taken a backseat throughout most of the story.

The war is going to be extremely difficult both physically and emotionally for members of the Shinobi Alliance, and Sai being made to face his brother is surely only the beginning. The dead vs the living in a war that will decide the fate of everyone was always going to be interesting, and thus far that's what it has been.

This episode set things up nicely and helped set the tone for what the war is going to be like, and along with some great music choices, it was also paced well and did just enough not to frustrate people with a lack of action, while at the same time leaving you desperate for the next episode to see just what happens next.

One last thing I want to suggest is that you don't watch the episode preview, as it's easy to see an annoying spoiler in it, so definitely avoid watching that if you haven't already read the Manga. But yes, overall a great episode, and I am definitely looking forward to the next one!

Naruto Shippuden Episode 261 - For My Friend - Review / Thoughts

So, my first Shippuden review for this site, and thankfully now with the series returning to canon I can have something good to say for the first time in a month!

The recent filler arc was just terrible (well actually, the very first of the 4 fillers was ok, but the other 3 were terrible). Myself (and many others) have been waiting for the canon to return though, and this episode was a nice way to bring things back.

In the last canon episode, we basically got to see Kabuto and Tobi preparing and heading out for war, so it's a nice return for the series as this one focuses on the Shinobi alliance's preparations. Not an awful lot happened content wise, but what did happen was very good.

Gaara did a fantastic job of rallying the troops, and to me showed why he will make an excellent leader of the alliance. Gaara had no problems admitting his flaws, but for the sake of his friend Naruto, and for the sake of stopping the Akatsuki from taking over the world, he asks for the help of all the Shinobi from every village.

Despite some villagers still bearing grudges against each other for various actions their respective villages did to one another, Gaara's heartfelt speech soon lifted the spirits of everyone in attendance, and got the anger to cease so that they could be united to stop Tobi and Kabuto. Gaara even promised that they could have his head at the end of the war if they are not satisfied, and it was amazing for Gaara to be showing so much maturity at such a young age.

A lot of people were questioning whether Gaara was the right person for the job, as in most cases it seems the fans would have preferred Kakashi to be the one in charge. Despite being a huge Kakashi fan though, after this episode I think it will silence a lot of Gaara's critics, or at the very least let them possibly rethink their stance on him.

Although short, it was also nice to see Tobi and Kabuto again, especially as Kabuto has started sending out his various Edo Tensei to the battlefield. There are definitely some awesome moments and fights coming up, and as a Manga reader I am also hoping certain things are expanded upon and added to the Anime. In any case, this episode was really good, and I certainly can't wait for next week when the war shall really begin!