(by Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, $9.99)
FROM THE BACK COVER:
"Naruto is a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He's got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world's greatest ninja!
Finally face-to-face with his ultimate nemesis, Naruto finds out there's more to the true Pain than he could have ever imagined. As the consequences of the tumultuous politics of the past come to light, an unexpected turn of events puts a new ninja in power in Konoha. And the first act by the new leader will change Naruto's world forever."
EVIDENCE FOR:
Pain may not be the greatest villain in Naruto history—personally, I think certain members of the Uchiha clan outclass him—but no other adversary so closely mirrors Naruto's own upbringing. For that reason, this volume turns out even more profound than the last one: a second examination of Naruto's conscience, this time through the twisted lens of Pain's childhood. Even more remarkable is how Naruto ultimately triumphs over Pain—not through sheer firepower or jutsu trickery, but through empathy and emotional force of will. Seriously, next time someone dismisses all shounen as brainless, never-ending slugfests, just show them the middle chapters of this volume. Even Naruto's heroic homecoming is charged with a certain poignancy, a moment that looks inward to his fragile heart as much as it does to the outward cheers of the crowd. But lest things get too touchy-feely, the sudden shift of power in the later chapters reminds us that there's still plenty of drama to come. The level of detail in the visuals also continues to impress, whether it be through high-speed ninja moves, meticulously sketched landscapes, or the incredible variety of characters—each one integral to the plot.
EVIDENCE AGAINST:
Oh, for goodness sakes. Did Masashi Kishimoto really just pull the oldest trick in the epic-adventure book? Did he seriously hit a reset button just now? Naruto's battle against Pain may be unconventional by shounen standards, but the aftermath is pure cliché—the kind of twist that will have readers banging their heads against the nearest hard object. The events leading up to it are also sloppy in their execution, with lots of crisscrossing flashbacks (Pain's childhood? Naruto's childhood? Jiraiya?) and too much talking. With a story as complex as this, of course it's necessary to explain certain things, but Pain's droning narration turns several pages into walls of text, with only Naruto's rebuttals and Jiraiya's words of wisdom to break up the monotony. Then comes the next story arc, where a new Hokage takes power and Sasuke tries to get himself back into the story, but it just seems to take forever for that plotline to take off. They spend a good 40 pages talking about the Akatsuki's next move and the importance of the Gokage Summit—so why don't the guys just go there already?
FINAL VERDICT:
It has some good, deep moments, as well as a great triumph for the main character, but the excessive dialogue and downslide in action spell a B- for this volume.
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