Saturday 14 May 2011

DVD Reviews


Naruto Shippuden Box Set 5
Director: Hayato Date
Starring: Kate Higgins, Maile Flanagan & Yuri Lowenthal
Manga Video
Available from 16/05/2011 – RRP £24.99 (DVD)
Review by Rob Wade
Editor’s note: Though it goes without saying to a degree, this review contains spoilers from previous series.

Naruto has failed. Sasuke has made himself known, and Naruto has not been able to bring him home to the Hidden Leaf Village. Worse still, Sasuke seems to have allied himself with Orochimaru. Naruto returns to the Leaf, and begins to train himself to become even more powerful in order to bring Sasuke back to the village. Unbeknownst to the Hidden Leaf Village, though, is an even greater threat. A splinter group from the Land of Fire has resolved to unite the land under its own banner, and makes their presence felt during this series.

As a series, I’m gradually being forced to eat my words. I even have to go as far as to say that I’m getting into it pretty heavily. Naruto Shippuden is a really strong series, and the more you watch it the more it becomes apparent. The character development is getting really interesting, and Naruto in particular is getting really strong as a character. The plot is incredibly deep, which while confusing at times, is generally recapped with a sufficient amount of detail to bring you up to speed. The plot balancing and pacing is absolutely spot on.

The only issue really with this series is the usual stuff. It’s a series that really requires involvement from earlier on, which I would certainly recommend doing if you’re into your animé. The only other real issue, which prevents it from getting similar scores to previous series, is that owing to the storyline being as it is currently, the series suffers from some sluggishness during this fifth series. However, when the series reaches its crescendo and the Land of Fire splinter group makes its plan known (which has been teased throughout the series) the series abruptly ends, and you find yourself wanting more.

The Emotionally Fourteen Rating
Violence: A couple of fights, mostly using Jutsu.
Sex/Nudity : None. One character tries to steal life force with a kiss, but she doesn’t go any further than that.
Swearing : “Bastard” gets tossed around.
Summary: A bit slower in pace than previous series, but otherwise a worthwhile continuation of the show. 7/10



PLANTS VS ZOMBIES GIVEAWAY

Get ready to soil your plants!




Stem a zombie attack in the fun-dead zction hit from PopCap! Zombies are invading your home and the only defence is your arsenal of plants. Dig into five game modes and new mini-games. Challenge a friend in Versus mode and make your own zombie! The fun never dies!

Thanks to our friends at Mastertronic, we've got three copies of Plants vs Zombies on Nintendo DS to give away! For your chance of winning, send your name to emotionally14@hotmail.co.uk before midday on Saturday 21st May, making sure to put "Plants vs Zombies" as the subject. The first three entries out of the electronic hat after the competition closes will receive a free copy!

Don't forget to put "Plants vs Zombies" in the subject line. Incorrectly labelled or blank entries will be discarded.

Plants vs Zombiesis available now on Nintendo DS, priced £29.99.

Entries limited to one per household. Offer open only to postal addresses in the UK and Ireland.

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