Naruto Shippuden: Collection 7 
Starring: Kate Higgins, Maile Flanagan & Yuri Lowenthal
Director: Hayato Date
Manga Video
Review by Rob Wade
Editor’s note: Though it goes without saying to a degree, this review contains spoilers from previous series.
Asuma and Shikamaru have to think on their feet as they face the mind-boggling jutsu of the Akatsuki pair Hidan and Kakuzu. At the last minute, the Akatsuki are called away, but not before dealing a devastating blow to the Hidden Leaf Village. The devastated ninja affected can think only of revenge, but Tsunade is opposed to the scheme until an offer of help arrives from an unexpected source.
It speaks volumes as to the quality of anime if it can get me involved. In all the time I’ve been doing this, only two series have really grabbed me, and the other one, Sekirei, contained copious amounts of boobs. Not hard to get my level, it seems. Anyway, Naruto Shippuden has been ramping up considerably over the last few series, and this volume promised to be no exception, with the ending promising a titanic battle. Well, a titanic battle you do indeed get, the repercussions of which have a significant impact on the remainder of the series, with the ensuing desire for vengeance culminating in one of the most epic scraps since the Shippuden storyline began.
I had a couple of minor gripes with the series in general on this volume. Despite being around 4 hours long, I’d say at least an episode’s worth of content was slow-motion recaps of things that happened in previous episodes, or in a couple of cases from a few minutes before, possibly on ad breaks during its showings on TV. Nevertheless, it’s a little on the cheeky side to duplicate a lot of the footage, especially when there’s such a short space sometimes between the first instance and the repeat.
However, the emotional response from the series is the desired one in this instance, mainly due to an effective use of music and some choice dialogue. What’s more, what should be a sad scene at one point (which I won’t talk about too extensively for risk of spoiling too much) still has a sense of intrigue because it advances one of the other characters’ backstory pretty heavily. Granted, they took one of my favourite characters out of commission, but I found it difficult to argue with the way it was done. Besides, the character who then progressed is starting to grow on me pretty heavily.
It’s also worth knowing that if you’ve been waiting for the collection which shows Naruto finally mastering his new powers, you’ll be pleased to know that this collection is the one in which the power comes to fruition, and you get one chance to see it in action. It’s worth the wait.
The Emotionally Fourteen Rating
Violence: Loads of ninja fights, which only seem to get better with each series.
Sex/Nudity: None.
Swearing: “Bastard” and “Son of a bitch” get tossed around, as standard.
Summary: A rip-roaring good time, although it’ll be interesting to see how the next series goes on from here. 8/10
JACKIE BROWN GIVEAWAY
A sexy flight attendant (Pam Grier) is caught in a plot between the police and an arms dealer, and everyone's looking for the payoff. There are six unlikely players on the trail for a big score - a half million dollars in cash. But alliances are shaky when it's unclear who is playing and who is getting played.
An all-star cast joins Pam Grier and Robert Forster, including Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda in Tarantino's adaptation of the novel by Elmore Leonard (3:10 to Yuma, Out of Sight).
Thanks to our friends at Lions Gate Home Entertainment, we've got two copies of Jackie Brown on Blu-ray to give away! For your chance of winning, send your name and full postal address to emotionally14@hotmail.co.uk before midday on Saturday 19th November, making sure to put "Jackie Brown" as the subject. The first two entries out of the electronic hat after the competition closes will receive a copy of this awesome Blu-ray!
Don't forget to put "Jackie Brown" in the subject line. Incorrectly labelled or blank entries will be discarded.
Jackie Brown is available now, courtesy of Lions Gate Home Entertainment.
Entries limited to one per household. Offer open only to postal addresses in the UK and Ireland.
Director: Hayato Date
Manga Video
Review by Rob Wade
Editor’s note: Though it goes without saying to a degree, this review contains spoilers from previous series.
Asuma and Shikamaru have to think on their feet as they face the mind-boggling jutsu of the Akatsuki pair Hidan and Kakuzu. At the last minute, the Akatsuki are called away, but not before dealing a devastating blow to the Hidden Leaf Village. The devastated ninja affected can think only of revenge, but Tsunade is opposed to the scheme until an offer of help arrives from an unexpected source.
It speaks volumes as to the quality of anime if it can get me involved. In all the time I’ve been doing this, only two series have really grabbed me, and the other one, Sekirei, contained copious amounts of boobs. Not hard to get my level, it seems. Anyway, Naruto Shippuden has been ramping up considerably over the last few series, and this volume promised to be no exception, with the ending promising a titanic battle. Well, a titanic battle you do indeed get, the repercussions of which have a significant impact on the remainder of the series, with the ensuing desire for vengeance culminating in one of the most epic scraps since the Shippuden storyline began.
I had a couple of minor gripes with the series in general on this volume. Despite being around 4 hours long, I’d say at least an episode’s worth of content was slow-motion recaps of things that happened in previous episodes, or in a couple of cases from a few minutes before, possibly on ad breaks during its showings on TV. Nevertheless, it’s a little on the cheeky side to duplicate a lot of the footage, especially when there’s such a short space sometimes between the first instance and the repeat.
However, the emotional response from the series is the desired one in this instance, mainly due to an effective use of music and some choice dialogue. What’s more, what should be a sad scene at one point (which I won’t talk about too extensively for risk of spoiling too much) still has a sense of intrigue because it advances one of the other characters’ backstory pretty heavily. Granted, they took one of my favourite characters out of commission, but I found it difficult to argue with the way it was done. Besides, the character who then progressed is starting to grow on me pretty heavily.
It’s also worth knowing that if you’ve been waiting for the collection which shows Naruto finally mastering his new powers, you’ll be pleased to know that this collection is the one in which the power comes to fruition, and you get one chance to see it in action. It’s worth the wait.
The Emotionally Fourteen Rating
Violence: Loads of ninja fights, which only seem to get better with each series.
Sex/Nudity: None.
Swearing: “Bastard” and “Son of a bitch” get tossed around, as standard.
Summary: A rip-roaring good time, although it’ll be interesting to see how the next series goes on from here. 8/10
JACKIE BROWN GIVEAWAY
A sexy flight attendant (Pam Grier) is caught in a plot between the police and an arms dealer, and everyone's looking for the payoff. There are six unlikely players on the trail for a big score - a half million dollars in cash. But alliances are shaky when it's unclear who is playing and who is getting played.
An all-star cast joins Pam Grier and Robert Forster, including Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda in Tarantino's adaptation of the novel by Elmore Leonard (3:10 to Yuma, Out of Sight).
Thanks to our friends at Lions Gate Home Entertainment, we've got two copies of Jackie Brown on Blu-ray to give away! For your chance of winning, send your name and full postal address to emotionally14@hotmail.co.uk before midday on Saturday 19th November, making sure to put "Jackie Brown" as the subject. The first two entries out of the electronic hat after the competition closes will receive a copy of this awesome Blu-ray!
Don't forget to put "Jackie Brown" in the subject line. Incorrectly labelled or blank entries will be discarded.
Jackie Brown is available now, courtesy of Lions Gate Home Entertainment.
Entries limited to one per household. Offer open only to postal addresses in the UK and Ireland.
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