September 07, 2003
Naruto Episode 48
"Gaara Crushed!! It's Youth! Power! And Explosion!"
I've loosely been following Naruto in Shonen Jump, and while it isn't my favorite of the manga in the anthology, I do find it somewhat entertaining. The art style of the anime is reminiscient of the manga, but not quite spot on. The character designs range from mildly interesting to ugly (Lee, with his weird bowl cut and overly round eyes).
Jumping in at episode forty-eight, it appears that ninja of many different clans have assembled for some sort of tournament. The action is slow and plodding in general, with a very Dragonball-esque pace to it (wherein two combatants fight, but the majority of time is given over to the various observers' commentary about the battle, one move at a time).
Lee, a ninja who is unable to use special ninja powers, and must rely only on his physical ability, is battling a ninja who makes use of sand as armor against Lee's attacks. The setup is actually fairly interesting, and the episode ends with an interesting leadin to the the next.
The show is animated with a mix of two dimensional images on a three dimensional background (used for moving the camera quickly during the fight scenes). The two styles doesn't quite mesh correctly though, but the effect is passable (but not good).
Naruto is a show that will appeal greatly to its intended audience. If you liked Dragonball and Rurouni Kenshin, and never had a single complaint about the pacing, you'll probably like Naruto, too.
Rating: C+
Posted by Kei at September 7, 2003 04:06 PM