Fantasy Dimensions

Long awaited Naruto 6-7 is now out and available from Dattebayo. While Naruto still lacks the needed Orange-kun required for awesomeness, this episode was pretty redeeming. I had commented on the last episode (episode 5) that it was pretty decent, although I forgot the minor detail of me skipping past any long boring speeches that I already had read in the manga LONG ago.

I was impressed with the production quality in this episode. It was entertaining, insightful, and interesting. Gara’s fight was well animated, although lacking passion, justice, or courage. It also lacked action, and was more of a mental battle. The second half, had it not been art of the one hour special, would have really pissed me off if it was a full episode. I mean it, seriously.

Like, the first half, Gaara is captured. Alright, pretty good. Second half, had I waited a week and seen it, I would have probably punched my monitor with my fish in rage at how shitty an episode of nothing going on would have been. I’m glad the animation team is trying to stretch the actual manga material (after what, two years of filler?) while at the same time providing something interesting. I think, given that as a reason for the one hour specials, I can sort of see eye to eye.

However, one hour specials do upset me. I don’t like to spend 44 minutes watching the same episode only to know that I won’t see it again for two weeks, especially on something I bother to follow. Boy that was a long sentence.

Overall, it was a so/so episode. It was good, entertaining, and all that but did nothing like the recent Code Geass Episode 23 that had you slamming your fist into the table shouting ZERO ZERO ZERO!!! with as much passion and courage as possible.